


Backwater Girls from Backwater Worlds

by SophiaDreith



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Kidnapping, M/M, Obsessive Behavior, Stalking, Starvation/Dehydration & Suffocation, Swearing, Vaginal Sex, Violence, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2018-07-28 13:50:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 39
Words: 183,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7643068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaDreith/pseuds/SophiaDreith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey was having a good day. Well–not good–there were people in her loft partying it up and doing God knows what to the furniture. It wasn’t perfect but it was her life and she’d earned it. Which is, of course, when the psycho in the mask descended from the sky and demanded that the people of Earth hand over a girl. A girl who shared the same face as Rey.</p><p><em>But it hadn’t been Rey that he wanted.</em> She’d found that out after he’d left her to die on a dustball rim-world on the edge of the empire. Rey had come back from worse(not really) and being dumped on desert planet wasn’t the worst thing. The worst thing was figuring out how to get back home.</p><div class="center">
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	1. Chapter 1

Reyna Gillespie was having one of those days. The kind where she was well aware that it was all very #FirstWorldProblems but she could not help the grimace that passed over her features as a particularly drunk person knocked into her from behind. There was the tell-tale dampness of a spilled drink and the guy mumbled out an apology before moving on without a backwards glance. She shifted slightly and debated on using it as an excuse to head back to her bedroom and change her top, but she wasn’t interested in listening to her friend bitch at her. The top was black so she was confident that nothing showed anyway. She would just smell like a bar. 

Rey shook her head in irritation and turned back to the window. It was by far her favorite thing about her new home. New York gleamed in the night sky and it was a far better view than the slightly obnoxious mingling going on in her condo. _ There aren’t enough booze in this city to have made any of this a good idea, _ she thought. But James had assured her that having a party in her brand new loft was the thing to do. Even if she didn’t recognize half the people currently gabbing at one another on her seven thousand dollar leather sofa.

_ I thought you were supposed to get gifts for your home, not have to pay a fortune repairing damage, _ she thought with a twist of her lips. Rey had already spotted signs of red wine stains on her polished concrete floors and she resisted the urge to sigh. Her glass was still too full and she needed to remedy that.

She gulped down another large swallow as James came up behind her. “Girl, this party is _ swank.” _ James was her best friend for the last five years, ever since her brother Poe beat it off to the Navy to be a pilot. Rey had no idea what the swank meant but it sounded positive so she smiled. 

“How long before I have my house back?” she asked through pleasantly gritted teeth.

James, as usual, was unimpressed. “It’s like midnight, babydoll. It’s gonna be  _ hours.” _

That’s what she was afraid of. She hated crowds of people, but she’d just been promoted at her job and her condo was finally finished with her renovations to make it her own personal modern oasis in the city. That being said, she spent much of her time on her terrace with its lush plants and beautiful view. She’d be out there tomorrow planting flowers if she wasn’t too hungover after this shindig. While the party hadn’t been her idea, people in her line of work needed to make social and business connections. Connecting with other people had never been one of Rey’s stronger suits so she’d agreed to host a little soiree, and James had handled the invites. She didn’t know half these people but then that was the point. Most of the people she  _ did _ know had already said their hellos and hung around for a few minutes before they went off to take advantage of the new faces and potential connections. 

She took another drink of her sangria and was about to get up, perhaps try to converse with one of her guests, when she felt her phone start buzzing in her pocket. Rey ignored it at first, but it just kept buzzing with updates from her twitter feed. She set her glass down on the sill and pulled her smartphone out. Rey blinked as mass texts and social media notifications started cascading down the screen, but she couldn’t read them fast enough before another notification buried the one she was trying to read. Rey looked up and saw that most of her guests were having a similar experience. She quickly unlocked the little machine and pulled up her twitter app.

Her feed was blowing up in front of her and she clicked on a link to a news site. First Contact, it read and she blinked several time.  _ Must be some kind of hoax, _ she thought.  Rey was about to play the accompanying live video stream when the people around her began talking even more loudly. There was a note of panic as the volume in the room began to increase.

“Holy shit you guys! Turn on the fucking television!”

Rey looked over to see her seventy inch flat screen light up and whoever had the remote was flipping through the channels rapidly. Whatever it was, it had gotten the attention of  _ this  _ crowd . . . it had to be big.

“—You're just tuning in, contact with extraterrestrial life has been made.”

Rey nearly dropped her phone as her fingers slackened in the face of the news anchor almost frantically reporting on the video of  _ giant goddamn space ships _ circling the planet. The image was grainy but it was very clear that there were several grey triangular ships moving over the atmosphere of the planet. Images began to appear on the screen showing not only the lighter grey ships but a larger darker ship that reminded Rey of an arrow head

The blonde news anchor seemed a bit flustered but she kept her tone even. “Reports from NASA say there are seven smaller ships that are approximately sixteen hundred meters in length and our defense specialist says a single ship could carry as many as four hundred individual air ships inside. The larger ship is nineteen hundred kilometers in length and can carry . . . thousands.” Rey and everyone else in the room heard the gulp in the woman’s voice.

_ Nineteen kilometers, _ she thought,  _ what the hell is that in American? _

A map of the planet appeared showing little red triangles moving over the planet along with their trajectories. The large one seemed to have settled over Paris, France. Grainy cellphone video of the mass hysteria in Paris was being played as the news anchor continued speaking. This was played in conjunction with large crowds of people gathered at cathedrals in Europe. They held candles and prayed and Rey felt her breath coming out in uneven pants.

She heard someone cry out in a panic, “Oh my God, one is heading  _ here. _ I need to go home. Holy shit, I gotta go home!”

More than half of the party spilled out into the hallway as many of her guests hurried to make it to their homes, probably to be with family since it seemed very possible that E.T. wasn’t just there to phone home. Rey blinked several times and her fingers tightened once more around her phone. Her hand trembled as she hastily swiped through her apps and selected her brother’s name from her call list. She held the phone up to her ear but it went straight to voicemail. She would need to call the navy operator, but she knew she had no chance of getting through to Poe. He was a pilot—he would be on stand-by.

“Fuck,” she murmured but still sent him a text anyway asking that he call her when he could.  _ I love you, _ she typed out.

Rey moved closer to the television as new images flashed across the screen, and she bit her lip as the ‘experts’ pointed out the areas that were clearly some kind of offensive weapons. The term ‘rail gun’ was being thrown around along with ‘massive cannons’ and ‘immense firepower’. The ship had many openings along the side— _ docking bays, _ her mind whispered—where smaller ships could emerge and rain down untold destruction.

She looked out of the window towards the night sky. The ship wasn’t there yet, of course but it was coming. And Poe . . . _ where was he? _ She wracked her brain trying to remember where his carrier was. Poe was usually pretty vague about where his ship was going and never gave her anything concrete. She could only hope he was nowhere near the line of fire.

She could see the beginnings of a riot in the streets below her condo and she wondered how bad it would get but the sudden silence of the news program drew her attention back and the screen flickered. Her jaw dropped along with everyone else’s as a  _ creature _ materialized on the screen. He . . . it . . . whatever it was wore all black with a hood draped over a mask. The silver inlays that swirled around the facade shone dully in the low red light of wherever he was broadcasting from. If he was looking to intimidate the population, he had that ‘stuff of nightmares’ thing down to an art.

“Greetings.” The voice was male, she was sure, and distinctly unnatural as if he were speaking over a phone. It was deep and almost guttural but there was no trace of a foreign accent which caused her to narrow her eyes.

“I have traveled quite a distance to this find this little planet. I am looking for something— _ Someone.” _ A face flashed up onto the screen. It was clearly a sketch and not a photo. Rey blinked in confusion.

James stood beside her and he looked from her to the screen several time before asking in a quiet voice, “Babydoll, is that you?” She was shaking her head in denial even as he asked.  _ It wasn’t possible. _

The man in the black mask continued speaking in a voice-over. “I seek this girl. She is human and born of this world, but she belongs to me.” 

The image switched back to the creature. “You have twenty four hours to deliver her to these coordinates. If not, I will raze this planet until I find her.”

The screen flickered and the dumbstruck news anchor sat there for several seconds before realizing she was live again and began talking. By then, everyone in the room was looking back at Rey in varying degrees of pity and horror. There had to be some kind of mistake or maybe it really was a hoax because there was just no way . . .

She met their eyes. “It’s not me!” she snapped at them.

James looked incredibly dubious and raised a brow. “Girl, that picture even has you doin’ that thing with your teeth like you can't keep all of them in your head.”

And just like that, the spell was broken and she turned to James. “Oh  _ fuck you!” _

Her friend didn’t seem even remotely apologetic. “Hey, I just call it like I see it.”

James was trying to calm her down by bringing the conversation back to their normal fairly vapid level and she appreciated the effort from him.  _ What the fuck was going to happen now? _

And as if God himself decided the answer her, the news anchor stopped talking and listened to whatever was being fed to her over her earbud. She then nodded and began speaking again. “I’ve received word that the Department of Defense is asking anyone who fits the description of the girl in the photo to please report to your nearest law enforcement station.”

_ Oh shit shit shit.  _ How was this happening? It was like a bad dream or something. “I need to call my brother,” Rey said frantically scrolling through her contacts to get the Navy emergency line. It was a long shot and she knew it but she had to at least try. It rang quite a few times before a slightly frazzled voice came on the line. “This is the United States Naval Station in Norfolk. My name is Joanna Harrison, ID number 423067. How can I help you?”

Rey took a breath. “Yes, my name is Reyna Gillespie. I need to speak to my brother, Lieutenant Poe Dameron. He’s on CVN-69 Dwight D. Eisenhower.”

The operator began speaking almost before Rey had finished. “Ma’am, we have a backlog of calls.”

Of that, Rey had little doubt. “My face is on the  _ goddamn TV _ . I need to speak with my brother.”

There was silence for a few seconds from the woman but Rey could hear her typing something in the background before she responded. “Ma’am, we have your contact information on file. We will notify your brother of your call and he will contact you as soon as he is able.”

Her eyes slid shut as she hung up the phone. She turned back to James. “What the fuck am I gonna do?”

James looked at her. “That guy seemed pretty serious about blowing us all to hell. So I’m gonna say you need to hightail it down to the precinct cause I love you, but I’m not ready to die yet.”

Her eyes slid closed again and she took another breath. God  _ dammit _ . She had  _ plans _ for fucks sake. But realistically, there was no way she was the girl that that guy was looking for. Rey was nothing special, just a marketing exec at a mid-level firm. One of  _ billions _ of people on Earth. He had to be looking for someone else. Some one whom she shared a face with. Rey nervously fingered her mother’s wedding ring as it hung from the fragile chain around her neck.

She grimaced, biting her lip as she watched the news cycle through the information and the talking heads took over. “What do you think he looks like under there?” she wondered aloud. It was a shallow question—not really deserving of an answer in light of the fact that there were space ships circling the planet. James as always, had an answer.

He shrugged offhandedly. “Baby, you don’t wear a grudge mask like that unless you look like something that got dredged up from the bottom of a lake.”

There were times when she appreciated James’s brand of wit. This was not one of those times. “Oh,  _ that’s _ just making me feel so much better.”

Rey looked around at the people still lingering watching the news before turning and walking away. Some eyed her speculatively and she heard the whispers follow her as she left the living area and headed for her bedroom. James followed behind her and she clenched her fists as she entered the master suite. 

“Shut the door, please,” she said evenly. Rey didn’t need people gawking at her as she figured out what her next steps were.

James closed the door behind him and she walked over the large window and looked out over the city. She fingered the ring that circled her throat again and her words were barely more than a whisper. “There are like, what, a dozen people on the planet at a time that all could be identical twins?” Rey asked as she searched the sky again for any sign of the ship that was headed their way. 

She could see James’s reflection in the glass and his answering nod. “So you’ve got like a million to one chance that it’s actually you.” He was trying to be supportive and she smiled slightly. It wasn’t quite the right math, but it was close enough. She didn’t _ really _ believe she was going to be carried off by Black Mask, but . . . 

“We’re going to the precinct which is only a couple of blocks but afterwards . . . if they don’t send me away, I want you to come back here and wait this out. Better than trying to get a cab back to your place.”

James was rarely serious, but he nodded and took her hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

She had to believe that. “It’s not me,” she said quietly.

He shrugged. “Probably not. Though he could do a lot worse.”

She shook her head and smiled a bit.  _ “I _ couldn’t. Why does he even want with this girl that he’s looking for?”

“Well, he’s probably no Harrison Ford, but maybe he’s a king or something and he’s looking for a lost relative . . . or girlfriend.”

She rolled her eyes at how cliche that sounded. “Or maybe he’s going to  _ eat _ whoever it is that he’s looking for.”

James tilted his head and went and sat down on her bed. “I don’t think some alien wackjob is gonna fly his ass all the way here to find one person just to  _ eat _ her.”

She grimaced and pulled her sequined black top off and threw it on the bed. “You don’t know that. What if human flesh is some kind of rare delicacy?”

James shook his head. “They wouldn’t be asking for a specific person if that was the case.”

Rey pulled open her closet and grabbed a folded grey henley and pulled it on, toeing off her nude pumps as she went.

She looked over the multitude of clothing she had. Most of it had cost far more than she should have ever spent but they were  _ investment _ pieces. “Should I pack some stuff?”

James came up behind her and looked pensive for a second. “I don’t know. You probably don’t want to be dragging a suitcase around with you through the city. Maybe just a couple things you can fit into your pockets.”

She nodded. Black Mask didn’t seem the type to put up with a rolo. She grabbed a pair of socks before heading into her bathroom. Rey sat on the toilet and pulled the thin cotton over her feet and looked around at all the expensive serums and lotions she’d collected. This morning it had all meant something to her. None of it meant anything now. She swallowed before getting up and walking back out empty-handed.

As Rey thought over what she really wanted, the only thing she could think of was her mini ipad. It had most of her extensive movie, music, and book collections on it. It had her photos and videos of her friends and her brother and a few old scans from her parents. If she ended up leaving this planet for who knew how long, she wanted to keep her memories. Everything else was just . . . excess.

Rey pulled on her most comfortable set of knee high black boots and tucked her jeans inside. She didn’t have too many purses but she grabbed her favorite cross-body bag; a dark leather one with tan and burgundy flowers, and looped it over her shoulder and hip. She pulled her blue hooded coat over everything and picked up a scarf.

She looked around at her bedroom again. It was everything she’d dreamed of for over a decade.  _ Years  _ of education and work had gotten her here—double degrees followed by an MBA. They’d cost her three years of eating ramen and rice in a five hundred square foot basement apartment to pay off her debt, even with her generous salary. It was supposed to have all been worth it. Poe was supposed to retire from the Navy in a couple of years and then he’d work as a flight instructor or perhaps as a private pilot for a wealthy family. She would have her brother back and they’d live the high life in NYC. She’d had it all planned out.

Rey thinned her lips. There was  _ nothing _ to worry about. She didn’t need to bring a suitcase full of stuff with her because she’d be  _ coming back _ . Black Mask was looking for one girl. It probably didn’t matter which one, so long as they matched the description he’d given.

She would keep herself off to the side and away from notice and then she’d be back here in her loft and she’d be back to work by Monday morning. Rey nodded to herself. There was nothing to be concerned about, really.  _ Everything would be fine. _

The dark haired girl slipped her ipad into her bag and wrapped up a couple of charging cords and stuffed them in next. Her wallet and a few other small ‘purse items’ were thrown in. She’d need them while traveling anyway. James was eyeing her but he said nothing as he followed her out into the living room. More people had cleared out since she’d last been in there. The ones still there looked at her guiltily and she knew what they were thinking.

Rey sighed. “I’m going, goddammit.”

She wrapped herself up in the scarf and pulled the hood of her coat down low. It was a ten minute walk to her local police station and she didn’t want to risk anyone stopping or delaying her. 

She turned to James. “You’ll go with me . . . right?”

Her friend nodded emphatically. “Of course,” he said as he turned to the people who lingered. “Alright, everyone out.”

No one put up a fight as they were ushered out the door and they all looked at her like she was on her way to the hangman. Rey met their eyes evenly and did not let a shred of fear or doubt cloud her features. If she wasn’t turned away at the precinct, she’d be back in a couple of days and this whole thing might even be good publicity for her job. 

When everyone was well away, Rey checked her bag to make sure she had everything one more time before nodding and the pair made their way out. She locked the door behind her and slipped the keys into her pocket. They were both silent as they made their way down to the street. She came to a halt at the entrance of her building. 

It was chaos as the population tried to decide if it was the end of the world or not. People were yelling and cars were honking their horns while others were stock still staring into the sky. The general discontent hadn’t degenerated into looting or an all-out riot yet but she could tell that violence was brewing.

Rey kept her hood low over her face as she and James stayed close to the buildings, away from the road where the majority of the activity was taking place.  _ What  _ must _ these aliens be thinking of us _ , she thought, eyeing the crowd. Their steps were quick and James kept an arm around her as they turned a corner. She recognized their location and stopped, looking around.

Her eyes landed on a familiar sight and she turned to James and said quietly, “Just one stop.”

He looked at her, his brows drawn together but he nodded none the less as she pointed to the tiny store up ahead. Just as they were about to go inside, the owner, a man in his fifties was attempting to pull down the metal grating that would protect his shop. 

She tapped him on the shoulder and gestured inside. “I just need one thing. I’ll pay cash.”

The man looked at her and she knew he recognized her face. He stared for a long moment before nodding and muttering, “Make it quick.”

She pulled her hood down as she walked quickly inside and was in the back in only a few seconds. She hardly ever went down this aisle, only occasionally picking up a cheap pair of earbuds if she happened to have forgotten her usual set. The aisle was full of overpriced electronics ranging from slightly outdated cd and dvd players to disposable cell phones and radios. But none of that was what she was looking for. Her eyes glided over the gaudy and expensive merchandise before settling on what she was looking for.

She picked up the white and blue cardboard box that proudly proclaimed the item to be a solar charger for USB devices. Rey was resolute she wouldn’t be going anywhere but . . . she might be sitting in an airport or something on the way back and need a way to charge her phone. The girl took a stiff breath and mentally nodded to herself as she picked up the small box and headed for the front of the store.

James was waiting for her along with the older man by the checkout counter. Rey set the box down and added two chocolate bars as well. She pulled out her wallet and picked three crisp twenty dollar bills from the pocket. She held them out to the shop owner and he looked at her again and she wondered what he was thinking. Did he know her as the girl on TV or as the workaholic who stopped in there almost every morning getting a danish and coffee? He looked down at the charger and then at her face and she could tell that he knew exactly what she was doing.

He waved his hand at her before he pushed the items back at her. “Take it. No charge.”

Her hand trembled slightly as she held the money out.  _ Everyone thought it was her. _ Rey’s jaw tightened as she set the bills down onto the counter. “I’ll be back for the change on Monday,” she said firmly before taking the box and the candy.

She held the items tightly to her chest as they walked out of the shop and back into the street. She quickly pulled her hood back up and the chocolate was immediately stuffed into her pocket. She shivered as the lights in the shop went out behind them. James lead her off to a side alley beside a dumpster. The smell would have made a normal person wretch but that was New York. Her hands were trembling so badly by then that James had to take the box from her and pull everything out himself. He unwrapped the components and helped her put the flat charger into her bag. It was tucked in beside the ipad and the bag hidden away again under her coat before they stepped back out into the chaos.

The pair avoided everyone else as they came closer to the police station. She stopped outside of the blue double doors of the ninth precinct. The green lanterns flanking the entrance glowed in the darkness and it was hard to tear her eyes away from the terrified people coming and going from the stone building. James tugged on her but she was having trouble moving any further. 

Rey turned to her friend. “It’s probably not me—like maybe he’ll take anyone who looks like that. Maybe I can just go home and it won’t matter,” she said, panic lacing through her voice.

James put his hands on her shoulders and held her in place. “But it might matter. If it is you that he’s looking for and you don’t go in there, people could die. Your brother; your friends; everyone. I’ve seen Independence Day fourteen times and I’d rather not live through it, thank you very much.” It was the most serious she’d ever seen him and she nodded, licking her parched lips before turning back to the station. James wrapped an arm around her waist as she finally came to the doors. He pulled one open and ushered her inside.

The place was a madhouse of yelling people and cops scrambling to accommodate the numerous complaints and criminals being dragged in. But the worst was the  _ women _ . There were women everywhere speaking to anyone who would listen.

“It’s me!”

“I’m her.”

“I’m ready to go back to my homeworld!”

Rey looked around incredulously at the line of women waiting to speak to the person at the front desk. She took a step back but James stopped her. Up until now, she’d been half hoping that this was some sort of practical joke, like War of the Worlds or something. 

“It’s okay. Let’s get in line,” he whispered into her ear.

She nodded and they got behind a woman with long frizzy auburn hair that was covered in freckles. She was clutching an overnight bag and sighing as she replayed the video of the alien on her phone over and over again. She was obviously there for the same reason as Rey but even with the sketch flashing across the screen repeatedly, the lady still thought that she was what the creature in the mask was looking for.  _ If only, _ Rey thought.

The red-head wasn’t the only one though. Rey noticed that many of the women in the line as well as waiting around looked nothing like the picture. They ranged in size and shape from someone that Rey was almost positive was a man under that sequined red dress to a bottle blonde woman with mocha colored skin.  _ Why were they there? _ she thought desperately,  _ Why would they all  _ want _ to go? _

Fifteen minutes later, she finally made it to the front desk. There was a blonde lady cop behind the counter who wasn’t looking at her. Rey stood there in silence as the woman finished filling out a form of some kind. The officer looked like she’d rather be pulling out her own teeth than doing what she was currently assigned. Rey sympathized as she looked over the crowd of women (and a few men) that waited off to the side.

The woman pulled out another form but still hadn’t looked up at Rey as she began to fill in a new form. “Let me guess, you’re ready to fly away with your dark prince.”

Rey blinked. “Uh no. I _ really _ don’t want to be here.”

The cop actually looked up at that and Rey pulled her hood and scarf down. She was almost certain her face was pure misery. The woman’s eyes narrowed and she pulled a small piece of paper off her desk and held it up towards Rey’s face. It had to be the picture that the creature had flashed on the TV.

She bit her lip. “Should I wait with the others?”

The cop shook her head rapidly. “Ah . . . no,” she said as she pointed towards Rey firmly. “You stay right there.”

The cop clicked something on her radio and said, “Captain, there is a girl out here who fits the description.”

“On my way.”

Rey looked over at James and her face fell as her friend reached over and squeezed her hand. She had hoped to be turned away but that apparently wasn’t happening. A few minutes later, a tall dark haired man came out and his eyes were glued to her as he came closer. She also couldn’t help but notice that more and more of the people and cops in the precinct were now looking at her.

The captain came to stand in front of her and he scrutinized her face. Her brows knitted at the inspection. “You want to look at my teeth too?” she asked sarcastically.

He snorted. “No. I had heard they found a perfect match out in Iowa. I didn’t expect to have anyone actually matching the photo walking in here.”

“If they found a match, then can I go home?” she asked, unable to keep the note of hope from her voice.

The captain shook his head. “No. Come with me and we’ll go over your itinerary.”

“Itin—where am I going?” she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“We’ll discuss it in private,” he said, his eyes darting towards the group of men and women who waited but were rather unsubtly eavesdropping on their conversation.

Rey nodded and turned to James but the captain spoke again. “Just you. We can’t let anything leak.”

Rey rubbed the bridge of her nose before meeting the man’s gaze once more. “Alright,” she said before turning back to James. “I guess this is it,” she said, her tone shaky and she fought to keep tears from filling her eyes.

He hugged her. “It’s not. You’ll be back before you know it,” he said encouragingly.

She nodded and kept those words repeating in her mind.  _ I’ll come back. _


	2. Chapter 2

France. That was where she was headed. The captain had stuffed her into the backseat of a cop car, and she’d been escorted to La Guardia where she’d been placed into a private holding room to wait until it was time to leave. Two hours later, she and a few other girls were put on a plane bound for Paris. The flight had been . . . odd, to say the least. The private plane was incredibly luxurious and she wondered which of the politicians and government higher-ups who were also aboard, that it belonged to. The politicians and their attachés kept their distance from Rey and the three other girls, the curtain to their cabin drawn closed. The atmosphere on the plane was pretty somber and quiet—for the most part.

Rey had not looked at any of the other girls since she boarded and most of them returned the favor. She’d known that there would be others that shared some similarities with Rey . . . but knowing and seeing were two different things. They could have been her sisters, and Rey found it more than a little unnerving. The four of them all had the same dark hair, the same eyes and facial structure. It was like being in some kind of crazy fun house.

One of the girls, Bianca, was excited. She’d been on the airplane phone for almost two hours after the plane took off. Rey was now aware that she was from Mississippi and she was currently a student at a beauty school. The other girl been spinning every shade of hyperbole about whether or not she was a long lost princess or queen. Rey thought she was delusional but kept her mouth shut. Black Mask didn’t seem like the type of person to go looking for someone who would have power over him. But then she’d only heard a modulated voice and seen a vicious looking mask. It wasn’t much to go on.

She’d seen one of the ships from the airport in New York. All air traffic had been grounded but she’d overheard that there was some kind of communication going on between the government and the aliens. They were aware that the plane she’d left in carried at least one person matching the image. _ Were they watching? _ she wondered—scanning and probing their plane and  _ looking? _

Rey had her ipad and headphones out, and she couldn’t help watching the video again as she nibbled on one of her chocolate bars. The man in the mask had spoken perfect english and she’d heard from some of the newscasts that the message he’d given had been spoken in over twenty different languages around the world. She’d rewatched the video in every one she could find on Youtube. Perhaps there was some clue as to why he was looking for this girl or perhaps she’d spot a giant mole that would disqualify Rey from the selection. She couldn’t tell much from from the video except that the background was dark with low red light that shone off the almost checkered black fabric of his hood. And, seriously, who the hell dressed like that?

He looked human in form. He had a head and a torso with arms and his eyes seemed to be in the right place. But he could have purple skin with seething pustules under there. Rey had been around good looking people her whole life and if instagram had taught her anything, men and women weren't so different when it came to sheer narcissism. Black Mask was covered completely which didn’t bode well for him in the looks department, as far as she was concerned.

She’d eventually given up on finding some way out of this and shut the machine down. Bianca was softly snoring in the seat behind Rey so the plane was quiet for now. The other two girls were reading or listening to music. Were they internally panicking like she was and just better at hiding it? You’d think a girl could pick up on facial cues from other people who had the same face. 

A man in a navy suit came from the front cabin and passed by them. He inconspicuously looked all four girls over before continuing towards the rear where the bathroom was located. He didn’t introduce himself or stop to speak, but something about the way he’d looked at them didn’t sit well with Rey.

_ There was nothing to be done about it, _ she thought looking out her window again. Her eyes began to drift shut and it felt like only a few minutes passed when she was abruptly awoken by the loud voices of the other passengers. Bianca was oohing and ahhing over something in the seat behind Rey. They were still in the air but everyone was looking out the tiny windows. Rey blinked several times before looking towards her window and peering out into the dawning light of Paris, France—only it wasn’t quite the right amount of sunlight. Everything was in shadow.

The reason for the darkness loomed in the distance over the sprawling city. It was the arrow-head shaped ship from the pictures and it was  _ massive. _ The photos hadn’t really been able to depict the sheer size it, and Rey had never seen anything so large.  _ These aliens could wipe them all out,  _ she realized with dawning horror. It made the one in New York look like a child’s toy, easily overshadowing it many times over. The damn thing was  _ miles _ long! There could to be tens if not  _ hundreds _ of thousands of people aboard that ship. 

One of the other girls had moved so she was in the seat in front of Rey and she heard the girl whisper, “Fuck me . . . we are  _ so _ screwed.”

Rey found she agreed with the sentiment. No one built ships like that without intending to use them. Black Mask was almost assuredly aware of the plane as it was the only other thing in the sky. Perhaps the girl he was looking for was one of the three aboard with her—perhaps it was Bianca. Rey almost hoped it was since then at least one person would get something out of this mess. The plane circled a few times, allowing Rey and the other girls to look over the city, and more specifically at the chaos that was raging below them. There were clouds of smoke billowing up from several locations and thick knots of people surging and writhing through the streets. 

As they circled, Rey spotted the reason for the delay in landing. Another plane was arriving.  _ Other girls, _ she thought with a sigh. Eventually, they were cleared for landing and the plane jolted a bit as the seatbelt sign came on. She sat still, her eyes unmoved from the city outside as the plane finally made contact with the tarmac and came to a stop. The politicians disembarked first and Rey watched while everyone pulled their luggage from the overhead bins. She gathered all of her things and stuffed them all back into her purse.

A small caravan of black sedans with tinted windows waited for them outside on the tarmac. Men and women in dark suits took the suitcases and held them off to the side while she and the others were ushered towards the cars. The airport was completely devoid of everyday people and it seemed as though it had been cleared out with not one person in sight who wasn’t there in some official capacity. There was a woman there in a pressed cream suit making sure directing the procession of politicians into their vehicles. Other than the woman, everyone else was dressed in either a suit and shades or in SWAT gear. Subtlety was apparently not valued by the security personnel. 

Rey watched with more than a touch of trepidation as one of the girls—Bianca didn’t immediately follow the requests of the woman in the suit. At which point, one of the security guys took her by the arm and began pulling her to a car. 

Biana called out. “What about my stuff? I can’t leave Earth without my essentials!”

The man turned and eyed them but Rey had no way of knowing what he was thinking while he wore those dark sunglasses. “Your suitcases are being checked over and will be returned to you at the embassy. Now  _ please. _ Get in the car.”

Bianca looked ready to say something else but apparently even she noticed that she was sitting in the middle of a powder keg of bad ideas and nodded before getting into the backseat of the sedan. The other girls followed suit quietly

Rey looked from the man to the woman. “That’s where we’re headed? The American Embassy?”

She nodded shortly. “It’s the only place we can be assured of your protection until it’s time for the meet.”

Rey stood there as the other women got into the car before turning back to the man and asking, “Is it that bad out there?”

“Worse,” she said, her tone clipped.

Rey didn’t say anything else. What was there to say? She got into the car and even Bianca was silent during the trip into the city. Rey tried not to wallow in self pity as the empty fields around the airport gave way to the trees of the suburbs followed by the beautiful architecture of the ancient french city. She’d intended to visit Paris next year and perhaps she could still make that trip. Of course, that all depended on whether there was even a Paris still there. 

She pulled out her phone and looked at the time. They still had roughly sixteen hours until the alien was supposed to show up. She had a ton of missed calls while she’d been on the plane but none were from Poe.

Rey cleared her throat and leaned forward a bit in her seat. “Excuse me.”

One of the security personnel looked back at her from the front passenger seat. “Yes?”

“I . . . My brother. I still haven’t been able to speak with him. I called him before but he hasn’t called me back, yet.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure how I can help you with that,” he said with a shrug.

Now she felt a little stupid. “Oh! Uh. My brother is a pilot for the Navy. Lieutenant Poe Dameron. He’s stationed aboard the CVN-69 Eisenhower. I called the Navy operator and they said they would let him know that I called but I still haven’t heard from him.”

The man punched a few things into his phone before answering. “The Eisenhower is currently in the Mediterranean and is on high alert. Him being a pilot, he will be on standby near his plane waiting for orders. He won’t be able to call you until this is all over.”

Her brows knitted together. She’d thought as much but there had been a sliver of hope that maybe she would get to talk to him. Rey sat back and did her best to hold it together.  _ There was nothing to afraid of. _ Black Mask would carry Miss Bianca off to be his space queen or whatever fairytale she was spinning for herself. Rey would go back to New York and everything would be normal again.

The car slowed down as they came closer to the city center and Rey couldn’t help her gasp as an egg hit the window of the sedan. There was yelling and screaming outside as people rioted in the streets. There were french police everywhere trying to hold back the crowds as the short caravan made its way towards the gates of the embassy. Soldiers moved around spraying people with gas and pushing them away from the American consulate. 

One of the girls reached over and grabbed Rey’s hand. Rey hadn’t spoken to her before and didn’t even know her name but she squeezed the other girl’s fingers. It was slow but they eventually passed through the gates and pulled up in front of the main building. She got out and saw that the the other girls were already being shown inside. Rey looked out at the men and women yelling from the other side of the iron bars. They were all speaking french so she had no idea what was being said but it didn’t sound complimentary.

The security guy put a hand on her shoulder. “Time to go inside.”

Rey nodded and allowed him to lead her into the lavish building that was swarming with American travelers, diplomats, and gaggles of people who she instantly recognized as interns by their harried expressions as they darted this way and that like minnows in a pond. She looked over as she heard two smartly dressed men discussing what was happening.

“They’ve been communicating with us?”

“It’s been very limited, but they have been sending communiques to the French government. It seems as though they are just as eager to leave as we are to get them out of here. They don’t seem to think much of us.”

The security guy seemed to pick up on what she was hearing and he ushered her away before she could hear anything else. There were several lines of people including the other girls going through the metal detectors and she could see them fighting with their purses and the suitcases that had appeared.

The security guy looked over at her. “We didn’t find a suitcase for you.”

Rey shrugged. “I didn’t bring one. There’s no point. I’ll be back in New York when this is all over.”

He raised a brow at her but didn’t say anything else. She walked past the other girls and pulled her coat off before emptying her own purse of its contents into a bin. They went through the scanner and she stepped through the body scanner with no problem. The guard was distracted, Rey could tell. He probably wanted to be at home with his family. As it was he barely glanced over everything in the bin, only half paying attention before pulling the solar charger out and running it through the machine again.

Bianca pushed forward a bit, “Is this gonna take much longer? I have phone calls to make. I don’t want my stuff going to my sister after I leave.”

The man waved Rey through with a sigh and she picked her meager belongings back up. She placed everything carefully back in her bag and looped it back over her shoulder. It wasn’t cold but she put her trench back on anyway. Rey glanced back to see a few of the other girls talking to one another while their luggage was searched again. Perhaps she should have packed more. A toothbrush, maybe. Perhaps someone here would be able to get one for her.

Rey wasn’t really sure what to do from there so she stood off to the side looking at her phone for a few minutes while people walked briskly around the lobby. Rey was in the middle of connecting to the embassy’s wifi when a pair of glossy black shoes came to a stop in front of her. Rey looked up and met the gaze of a tall man with ash blond hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a sharp navy suit with a dark red tie and the small American flag pin on his lapel identified his nationality. It took her a second but she eventually recognized him as the man from the plane.

His voice was smooth and controlled as he spoke. “Miss Gillespie, I’m Michael Fallinger. I’m one of the liaisons with homeland security handling the . . . situation.”

She locked the phone and put it back in her pocket. “Is that what they’re calling it?” she asked dubiously.

He nodded and the barest hint of an insincere smile crossed his face. “We just want to make sure everything goes smoothly.” Oh, she bet. They probably couldn’t wait for this mess to be over. The man’s gaze was cool and she got the impression that he’d be alright with blasting every single one of the girls into orbit if it would get Black Mask and his armada away from Earth. She’d seen the news feed while she’d been on the plane. The economies in several countries were on the verge of collapse and religious zealots were taking this as a sign of impending destruction at the hands of God and his angels. Rey was ninety-five percent sure God wasn’t partial to computer modulated voices and star ships. But hell, what did she know? 

She shrugged. “Well I can understand you not wanting the planet to get blown up, yes.”

Fallinger’s gaze narrowed a bit and Rey felt as though she were being searched in some way. The feeling only lasted a few seconds before it receded and he took on an air of indifference. “I’ll show you to your room. You will all be staying here until it’s time.”

“How much longer?”

“There are fourteen hours and and twenty one minutes left until the deadline. You and the other . . . ladies will be moved from here in approximately twelve hours and fifty minutes.”

She looked up at him and caught him eyeing the other women with an expression of complete apathy, as if none of them were worthy of the fuss being made. And perhaps they weren’t but none of them had asked to be there either.

Rey narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t look at them like that.”

That snapped the man out of whatever he’d been thinking. “Like what?”

“Like we’re  _ inconveniencing _ you,” she said sharply.

He blinked down at her and she again felt that feeling as though he were looking through her. She shoved it away and he blinked again before taking a long breath. “I apologize if I seem callous. It’s been an . . . eventful day.”

She nodded and he gestured for her to follow him. The loud noise of the lobby faded as they walked silently down the deserted corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is a slower chapter but this is stuff that will come into play later. I promise you guys, even if a chapter doesn't seem to have a lot going on, there is. If I could have written less and gotten this story out sooner, I would have. That being said, I'll be posting another chapter with this one so you won't have to wait long. :) ~S
> 
> Some of you may know that I don't like describing clothes. So I made a mood/outfit board instead. These may pop up as we change scenery. :)  
> 


	3. Chapter 3

Rey sat with thirteen other girls all ranging from looking like her twin to a close cousin. They were from all over the world; the noise inside large bus was a cacophony of different languages as many of them struggled to communicate with one another. Rey had barely spoken to anyone since the ordeal had begun. She kept her eyes on the churning angry crowds beyond the darkened windows of the vehicle. 

She sighed as the evening light faded. Her last meal had been light as she’d had almost no appetite for the last twenty four hours. They’d asked her what she wanted to eat and Fallinger had urged her to choose whatever she wanted as this might be the last time she’d be able to have food from this planet.  _ Or we could all be blown to hell, _ she had thought. 

She’d picked at the spinach lasagna, and it could have been from the nicest restaurant in the city, but she’d barely tasted it and only ate a few bites before she felt sick. Poe still hadn’t been able to call her back, but she’d talked to James a few times. He’d high-tailed it back to her condo like she’d told him to, and the last time she had spoken to him, he’d been watching the news in her living room and eating her leftover chinese. At least her fridge would be clean when she came back. 

As the approached the designated meeting spot, the noise quieted. Even Bianca had piped down as the seconds ticked by and they came up to Champ de Mars, the park in front of the tower. It was directly below the massive ship and what little light might have been there normally was completely blotted out by the megalith. Fallinger looked vaguely nervous and she had a feeling it was a foreign concept to him. She didn’t hold it against him, though. The  _ situation, _ as he’d called it, was enough to elicit quite a few unfamiliar feelings in everyone.

She and the others filed off the bus and made their way through the grass to the center of the field. They had another forty-five minutes until the deadline and Rey moved to what she hoped would be the back of the group. She looked around at all the people crowding around the park. Signs in french and english waved around and she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed again for her race. First contact with aliens they degenerated into a swarm of indignation.  _ But then Black Mask hadn’t needed to be such a douche either, _ she thought sourly. 

It was cold out so she tucked her bag away and buttoned up her trench coat. She had her keys in her hand and eyed the small gifts that Poe had given her before leaving on his last tour: a mini can of mace and a rape whistle.

“If I’m not around, at least you’ll have something,” he had said. She rubbed her fingers over the can as if she might still feel him there, but he was hundreds of miles from her and she knew she wouldn’t hear from him for a while. Rey blinked for a second before pulling her phone out again and stepping a few paces away from the other girls.

She saw Fallinger give her warning look and it took every ounce of willpower not to flip him the bird. Rey turned to face away from him and everyone else but didn’t go any further. She saw the flashes of cameras in her periphery but they meant nothing to her as she pressed the necessary buttons and for the first time this whole mess had started, tears pricked her eyes.

She pulled the phone up and began speaking into it. “Hi, this is Rey. I may or may not have been carried off by an alien. If I have . . . Poe, I love you and I’ll try my best to return. I . . .”

Rey stopped the recording and saved it. She didn’t want to say any more. Adding more about what people should do if she was taken . . . it didn’t bear thinking about. She blinked back tears as a hush fell over the crowd and she abruptly turned to look up at the sky. 

_ They were early . . .  _

A dark shuttle of some kind dropped down from the ship and almost lazily flew down towards the park. It reminded her of a giant black bat.  _ Fitting, _ she thought,  _ that Black Mask would fly around in a fucking batmobile. _ And somehow, she  _ knew _ Black Mask was aboard. He would be there in person to pick the right girl. There was little she could be sure of given the situation, but she knew that he was there.

The wings drew up to point towards the sky as the ship landed in front of the group. There were the fourteen girls plus Fallinger and two other people, a man and woman who she thought might be some kind of diplomatic negotiators. What kind of negotiations they thought they’d get out of Black Mask, she didn’t know.

The ship landed with a thud and she felt the ground tremble slightly. Or maybe that was just her. Rey kept herself well in the back of the group and as far from what was about to happen as possible. She was thanking God she hadn’t eaten much because she was sure she would have thrown it all up as the ramp lowered and plumes of steam and gas rushed from the ship.

The first ones out of the ship were white suited soldiers; perhaps a dozen of them, their faces covered by white and black helmets. They had weapons and looked incredibly human in overall structure. They were followed by four more men, but these were wearing royal blue robes of a velvet like material over their black armor. Their helmets were a matching blue and they had black visor that obscured their faces. They stood to attention beside the ramp. 

_ Did they all cover their faces? _ she wondered. Was it a scare tactic? Perhaps they were  _ all _ so hideous under those masks that they thought the humans would be put off if they showed themselves. Like the predators from those movies.  A few seconds ticked by before a figure dressed in head to toe black almost stalked out of the ship. He was tall, and just . . .  _ big _ . His arms were heavily muscled but he had ten fingers just like a human.

_ What are you? _ she wondered.

Fallinger stayed by the girls but the two negotiators walked hesitantly up to Black Mask. She was too far away to hear what they were saying but whatever it was, it didn’t impress the alien as he walked past them without responding.

She recognized Bianca at the front of the group by her white coat, though even she was hesitating when faced with what was actually happening. Black Mask walked silently through the group, coming to a stop in front of each of them, his head tilting slightly before moving on to the next.

Some of the girls stepped forward as he approached while others stepped back. One by one, they were dismissed and Rey felt her anxiety rising with each brush-off. He finally stopped before a girl who stood a few paces in front of Rey. His hand came up and Rey was breathing a sigh of relief as the girl exclaimed, “Oh my God!”

But he shoved her aside and the other girl staggered a bit on her heels, barely staying upright . Rey felt her head shaking minutely in denial as he came closer to her, and her breathing was coming in short pants. Her fight or flight response was kicking in and all she wanted to do was _ run. _

Rey couldn’t help looking behind her to see if there was someone,  _ anyone else _ behind her, but there was no one there. She was the last and he was  _ standing in front of her. _ Black Mask was silent for a few seconds before he leaned forward ever so slightly.

“There you are,” he murmured, a curious note in his voice that Rey could hear even through the modulator.

She licked her dry lips and took a step back. He followed and closed the distance. “You’re afraid of me,” he said after a moment.

Rey blinked several times before she finally found her voice. “You don’t exactly inspire feelings of warmth and comfort, no. Your mask is uh . . . unique.”

His head tilted. “I’ll remove it soon, I promise. For now I need it for you to understand me.”

She nodded dumbly. His mask was some kind of translator, she realized. Perhaps that’s why they all wore helmets. His fingers wrapped around her wrist and he pulled on her almost gently. “Come, we are leaving.”

He was leading her through the group and everyone stepped out of her way. Some looked relieved while others were spitting jealous poison at her. “Um. Are you sure you have the right person?” she couldn’t help asking.

He didn’t stop walking. “Fairly sure.”

“Because, really, you might be happier with her.” Rey pointed over at Bianca who looked ready to burst into tears.

Black Mask didn’t even turn around as he answered, “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Her eyes met Fallinger’s and they narrowed as she saw that he didn’t seem in the least bit surprised that Rey was being dragged off. She longed to call out for him to do something—to keep this man from kidnapping her. 

As if reading her thoughts, Black Mask came to an abrupt halt and turned back to her. He looked over at Fallinger for a long moment but the other man didn’t meet his gaze. The alien finally looked back down at her. “Do not fight this. Your world will  _ burn _ if you do.”

She swallowed but nodded and followed quietly after him as he lead her the rest of the way to his ship. She was doing her best not to start hyperventilating as they boarded. He took her towards the front of the shuttle, and the soldiers followed them back inside. At first Black Mask kept a few paces between them, but he was staring at her and as the minutes went by he got closer and closer. Rey tried her best to sink into the metal wall of the ship.

He was only inches from her and his robes were brushing against her legs. “Don’t be afraid. I just want to see you.” He reached up and she couldn’t stop her flinch but he only lowered the hood down. Her eyes narrowed as she watched his hands catch on some kind of clasp and the helmet’s front detached. There was a gaseous release as he lifted the mask up and off his head.

Rey blinked and she knew her jaw had dropped, staring at the man in front of her. That’s what he was, a man. His long dark hair is softly curled around his face and he had a prominent nose and deep set eyes but he was strikingly beautiful in an unusual way. It was . . . not what she was expecting. 

Her words were a whisper. “You’re human?”

His eyes moved over her face as if really seeing it for the first time. “Skora tareche,” he said. She didn’t know what that meant but he seemed to understand her question. 

“Why—Why did you take me?” she whispered aloud, though she knew she wouldn’t be able to understand his response.

His hand came up again and his index finger rested below her chin before tilting her face up higher. He leaned in and his words were quiet. “Seeru mescha stromegah trejin ah. Sora exeha.”

Her heart was racing at the proximity of Black Mask. She wasn’t really a fan of being so close to strange people, much less giant threatening men. “I don’t know what that means.”

He didn’t say anything in response, and he just stepped even closer. She felt the ship rumble and lift from the ground. Rey stumbled a bit but he caught her and held her so close she froze. Her eyes looked at the other guards, hoping for some kind of assistance in getting Black Mask off of her, but they were all resolutely turned away.

“Please let go of me,” she begged softly.

“Ana crostega morin dorcha,” the man in black said as his gloved fingers touched her neck.

Rey felt herself beginning to panic and her hand came up to his chest to push him away. It was like pushing on a cinderblock wall. Instead, his fingers wrapped around hers and held her hand there. She couldn’t meet his eyes and she swallowed. She was breathing rapidly and her heart was racing once more. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?

“Sora exeha crategea amine.”

He might not have been from earth but that tone of voice—that leering expression . . . She recognized what he saying to her. This nightmare would never end. Her mind was . . . clouded. An oddly familiar feeling of cold darkness enshrouded her thoughts and made her unable to think clearly. It was as if something was sucking the life out of her. Rey felt her fingers twitch as they went into her pocket and they brushed against her keys, more specifically, the tiny metal can. Rey needed him to get away from her—just for a few minutes so she could breathe and put the pieces of her mind back together. 

In the years to come, Rey would never be quite sure if she regretted her next action or not.

His face was all but buried in her neck as her index finger laid over the trigger of the can. She suddenly pushed on him with all her might and it was enough to distract him into looking at her. One minute, he was mesmerized, the next he was screaming and clutching at his face.

She blinked as she looked at the tiny can in her hand. She’d  _ maced Black Mask _ . The guards were swarming around her as the alien yelled and screamed, almost assuredly cursing her existence. 

And then the dark shuttle was bathed in red light.

He was swinging around a sword of red energy and it was  _ slicing through soldiers _ and bulkheads like a hot knife through butter. She couldn’t help screaming as it swung inches from her head. She ducked down and all but crawled under a seat as the mad man kept swinging the sword, hitting structures and anything around him in his ferocious anger.

_ Holy shit, I’m gonna die. _ He was going to kill them all if he kept swinging that thing around! The vessel shuttered again and she knew they had landed on the larger ship. Black Mask had stopped yelling and she looked up to meet the furious bloodshot eyes of her captor. The ramp lowered behind him and she was about to make a break for it when it felt like tendrils had encircled her neck.

Rey began choking. The only noises she could make were desperate coughs. She couldn’t breath! She clawed at the invisible force and her eyes never left his. He was doing this to her! He was  _ killing  _ her! The guards filed out, not looking over at her and not picking up the two fallen soldiers that lay on the ground. 

Seconds went by and she felt her consciousness fading. This was how she was going to die. Choked to death by a creature who looked human but was a monster. Just as she felt the last of her strength slip away, the tendril receded and she gasped for breath, coughing.

The man’s entire body seemed to tremble with rage as he glared at her. “Grishn’a chopntegrin stajen dega’ah,” he spat out at her, his eyes shining with fury and disgust before turning and walking out, the ramp closing behind him. The ship went pitch black as the door closed and locked.

He’d—He’d left her in there!

Rey struggled to get up, the metal grating of the floor digging into her knees. She heaved herself up and collapsed onto a seat. Her fingers trembled as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. The screen was intact and she turned on the flashlight function.

“Hello?” she croaked out, her voice hoarse.

There was no sound, no movement. She was alone with the smell of burning metal and cooked flesh. There were two dead soldiers lying on the ground. Black Mask had locked her in his ship with dead bodies!

_ This . . . This couldn’t be happening! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be some weeks where there are two chapters out but I'm going to try and keep it to one because I don't like to have my editors scrambling to do more than what I asked of them when they took on this project. That being said, you guys can thank Firelord65 for recommending that I release another chapter because chapter two is a very slow and introspective chapter.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys are still enjoying this and we'll be back next week! :)  
> ~Sophie D.


	4. Chapter 4

She’d been sitting in the ship for over a day, according to her phone. She only used the thing when she couldn’t take the darkness any longer. And the  _ smell _ . . . the bodies had started decomposing and the stench made her nauseous. She’d also had to pee on the ground in a corner and  _ that  _ lingering odor wasn’t helping either. Rey was also  _ hungry. _ She hadn’t eaten much before the party at her loft, and she’d only picked at her meal in Paris. She’d been nibbling on the chocolate bar in her purse, taking a small bite every few hours when the pain was too much.

And she was thirsty.  _ Very _ thirsty. It wasn’t something she’d considered needing to plan for.  _ How long is he going to leave me in here? _ she wondered. She’d screamed herself hoarse in the first few hours, but it had become painfully clear that even if someone could hear her, no one was going to let her out until the jackass in the mask decided she could come out.

From the look on his face as he’d stormed out, that might be a while. She’d been feeling light headed the last hour or so and her thoughts had been muzzily spinning around her head. Something important kept popping up in her mind but when she tried to grasp it, it slipped away.

The air was warm and moist around her.  _ The air . . . _

Rey blinked several times as she latched on to the thought, hunger and thirst forgotten. She—she was running out of air. She was slowly suffocating in there! Rey took several shallow breaths through her mouth as she thought over what she was going to do.

Was that man  _ really _ going to leave her in there to die? All that pomp and circumstance and he’d just thrown her aside. She was going to die on the floor of a mad alien’s shuttle like a trapped rat. He’d seemed pretty set on the look of the girl that he wanted. Maybe he’d go back to Earth at some point, get another who wore Rey’s face. Bianca, maybe. Would he or anyone else tell her what had happened to Rey? Would he gloss over the fact that he’d decided to give her a slow death via suffocation in the dark of his ship with nothing but the stench of death and her own morbid thoughts for company? 

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she fought them back. A few fell anyway een as she berated herself for wasting precious water crying over her sorry situation. If Black Mask thought she was just going to roll over and die, he had another thing coming. Rey hoisted herself up and turned on the flashlight on her phone. Her battery would drain faster, but she needed the light. She set the phone down on a bulkhead and let the bright light fill the space. There had to be something on the ship she could use. She checked the helmets of the soldiers first, gagging slightly as she met the cold sunken eyes of the dead man. He bled crimson just like she did.  Rey looked away from the messy slash across his torso and neck.

She put the helmet on and could instantly hear chatter. Readouts flashed over the helmet’s screen, but it was indecipherable, much like the chatter. The helmet wasn’t airtight, either, so she discarded it. 

She’d walked around the ship multiple times looking for a means of escape but aside from the cockpit--which was sealed--and the ramp-exit that Black Mask had left using, there was only one other door. It didn’t have the same kind of lock--it didn’t look to be locked at all, really. However there was no power in the ship and the door hadn’t budged when she’d given it a cursory pull earlier.

At this point, though, she  _ had _ to get that door open. It might be her only hope.

Rey looked around the space for anything that could help her. The place looked like a war zone after Black Mask’s tantrum. Her eyes scanned the wreckage before spotting a long, thin piece of metal that had once been attached to the wall.

“Maybe . . .”

Rey walked over and picked it up, hefting it in her hand. It was heavy but flat. It might work. “It  _ has  _ to work,” she said to herself, taking a breath as she jammed the bar into the side of the door and began using all of her strength to pry the damn thing open.

“Come on!” she growled loudly into the silence.

The thing wasn’t budging but if she gave up, she might as well slit her own throat because there wasn’t enough air to last her another day.

Rey tried again, pushing the bar and staring at the door. “Open, goddammit!”

The sound of metal scrapping against metal thundered through the ship and she nearly let out a whoop of joy when the door moved an inch. The Earth girl could see a sliver of darkness beyond and feel the tiniest puff of cool, oxygen rich air. She got close to the small opening and took a great breath, savoring the taste and simple joy of breathing in something that wasn’t drenched in the odor of death.

Rey repositioned the bar and began pushing on it again, forcing the door open even further. Eventually, she got it open enough that she slipped a second large piece of down metal onto the ground to prop the door. She didn’t think the door would close with no power but there was no reason to take a chance.

Rey grabbed her phone and stepped into the small room, taking large gulps of air before it completely dispersed into the main cabin. Her head already felt clearer, and she looked around for anything that might help her.

She moved the light around as she searched the compartment. There were suits, skin tight and sealed. She pulled on a drawer and could have cried right there. Tanks and clear helmets. Rey had never been a big believer in the big man in the sky, but if she ever made it back to Earth, she might take up the Sunday service again.

That was, of course, if she made it out of this tin coffin alive. Rey couldn’t be entirely sure it was oxygen but it seemed as though Black Mask and the others breathed it so . . . she pulled the tanks out. There were four. Rey didn’t know how much air was in each, so she’d need to ration it.

The air was already thinning out as the oxygen rich pocket mingled with the CO 2 she’d been breathing in for the last day and a half. It wasn’t bad enough yet that she would waste the air in the tanks, though, so she set about dragging them all back into the main cabin. Rey set them against the wall furthest from the bodies before looking back at the mangled and slowly rotting corpses. She wanted to get rid of them—drag them into the side room and shut the door. 

She came back into the main cabin, dragging the last of the tanks along with one of the suits and the clear helmet. She’d rather not put on the suit and helmet as it might limit her ability to ration her air. Rey had already removed her coat but she shrugged back into it and placed her phone beside her on the ground as she sat down again, examining the suit design. It was warm in the cabin but if someone came in here, it was likely they wouldn’t wait for her to put her coat back on and she’d rather not leave it behind just in case.

She spent the next few hours moving the hoses and attaching this and that together, trying to make the thing work. She couldn’t read any of the text that popped up on the small computer attachment on the arm so she practiced hitting certain buttons and figuring out how it worked. She was eventually able to discard the use of the suit and helmet and simply take a breath from the nozzle. But she needed to be careful to only give it a quarter turn or it would be too much for her.

Rey sat back against the wall and took another bite of her chocolate bar. She practiced breathing the cabin air shallowly a few times before taking a breath of the oxygen from the tank. It was enough for now. She had a beast of a headache, but she was still alive. 

She was certain that if she hadn’t found those tanks, she would be dead already. She needed to make them last. It occurred to her hours later and well into the second day of her captivity that she couldn’t really allow herself to fall asleep. If she did, she might not wake up again. 

Rey hadn’t turned her phone back on in a while and she’d sat there in the dark for so long. The darkness . . . she could feel it edging closer and eating away at her. Everything seemed to be closing in on her. She was so thirsty and she didn’t dare move any more than she had to. Rey was an active person usually, jogging in the park in the mornings and walking to get everywhere, but movement burned calories--generated friction and sweat.

She also needed to pee again but Rey hesitated to waste the water. Perhaps her body would reabsorb it if she waited long enough. She eyed the corner that she’d dubbed the ‘pee corner’ and in the moist air of the ship, the liquid from the first time she’d urinated still clung to the grates of the floor. And wouldn’t Black Mask _ love _ that. She could just imagine the distaste on his face at the sight of a puddle of piss in the ship. ‘Course, that was if he even gave a damn. It seemed he expected her to die in there so if her dead body didn’t disgust him, probably nothing would.

“Jackass . . .” Rey muttered into the darkness.

It didn’t help that into the third day, she was already feeling dizzy and weak. She hadn’t slept and her phone had finally died so she slipped it into her purse. Rey had long since laid on the ground. Her face pressed into the grated floor, the sharp edges digging into her cheek but the pain barely registered. She was on the last tank so it wouldn’t be much longer, anyway.

Her iPad was open in front of her, playing a few videos from her last birthday. Poe was carrying her around on his back while she wacked at a cheesy pinata blindfolded. Everyone was laughing and she smiled slightly.

“Poe, I’m sorry . . .”

She needed sleep. She wanted sleep so badly. She ached for it. She still had half a tank left but that would last her another half day, maybe. Rey closed her eyes, dehydration and oxygen deprivation was killing her now, and she would be dead in a few hours.

_ I’ll go out on my own terms. _

Rey turned the tablet off and she was again plunged into all-consuming darkness, but it had become so familiar to her. She turned the nozzle on the tank tubing and held it close to her nose. She would have some oxygen and she would go to sleep.

Rey mentally said her goodbyes to Poe, James, her life. Everything hurt too much and she just wanted to sleep.

So she did; her eyelids drooped down and she let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Rey's not having a good day(or week).


	5. Chapter 5

Her eyes fluttered slightly as her aching head brought her back to reality. Well, the pain and the  _ light _ . The darkness wasn’t swallowing her up any longer.

“What . . . ?” she mumbled groggily, her fingers coming up to shield her eyes.

She was being  _ carried _ . To where she had no idea. _ Why am I alive?  _ Rey blinked rapidly at the pristine white ceilings and then at the white and black helmet of the man that carried her. After so long in the darkness, her eyes  _ hurt _ and she kept them shut as the dizziness slowly receded. She took a few shallow breaths as she was getting her bearings and just when Rey was about to finally open her eyes again, she was dropped.

Hard.

Her head cracked against something and she groaned as she reached out, her hands hitting the walls of the small space. Rey finally blinked her eyes open and looked around. Blood began tinging her vision red and she reached up to feel the gash on the edge of her scalp. Her fingers came away covered in blood and she looked around frantically.

“What—what’s going on?” she asked desperately, gazing up at the fathomless white helmet of the man who had dropped her. He didn’t respond, so she looked around at the tiny space instead.

Rey was in some kind of tube, and it felt as though the walls were closing in on her. She heard a whoosh above her and she looked up again. The soldier wasn’t looking at her any longer and she could see him pressing buttons in the wall outside the tube.

Her jaw trembled for a few seconds as she looked around trying to figure out how to get out. There was no way out! Just the _ walls. _ Her hands beat against the sides of the tube and she tried to reach up towards the ceiling, her whimpers and moans becoming louder as her fear grew.  

And then the screaming started. And she couldn’t stop.

_ It was supposed to be over! _ She’d let the mad bastard win! Why was he torturing her further? She reached up and clawed at the ceiling trying to get out as the she started hyperventilating. The wall were getting closer, she was sure of it. Rey watched as the soldier continued pressing buttons before he paused and looked down at her. Her eyes widened as he hit one last switch and for a fraction of a second it felt as though she were floating. And then he was gone.

No,  _ she _ was gone! The ship. It was above her and getting further and further away. Rey couldn’t stop screaming and one second the ship was there and the next it was gone in the blink of an eye. They’d left her to die again! She beat on the walls, the ceiling— _ anything. _ Rey looked around, panicking and then it just got worse. The tube began trembling. 

“What is happening?!” she screamed into the tiny space.

She looked up again, and the once clear and dark color of space was lightening and becoming blue. She was—she was entering the atmosphere of a planet. 

_ Oh God! Please let it be home!  _

Maybe that monster of a man had decided to just drop her back on her planet.  _ Oh thank God, _ she thought, but Rey wasn’t given much chance to dwell on it as the tube began spinning and rocking back and forth as she plummeted towards the planet.

_ Was this normal? _ She squeezed her eyes shut as the turbulence got worse and she was thrown into the side. She felt something snap in her arm and Rey let out a low yelp of pain and held on as best as she could until the tube finally shuttered to a stop and it landed itself. If she’d had anything in her stomach, she’d have tossed her cookies right about then. As it was, Rey didn’t think she had the energy quite yet to get up from the floor of the tiny space and her eyes slid closed as she leaned against the wall and wrapped her good arm around her knees. 

“Fuck . . .” she said tremblingly. 

_ Everything _ hurt. Rey wasn’t one to generally wallow in self-pity or misery. She’d been through too much growing up in foster care, but this  _ experience _ really took the cake in terms of shit she was just gonna have to get over. Sunlight shone through the glass top but she couldn’t see anything else. She was on a planet, hopefully back on Earth. Rey took a breath and tried to calm down. She’d get on with her life, maybe dip into her savings and take a small vacation—not to Paris—and just relax on a beach somewhere for a couple of weeks.

She  _ could _ and  _ would _ get past this, God _ dammit. _

Rey nodded to herself and hoisted her weak and broken frame up until she was standing. They must have done something while she’d been unconscious. No way would she have been able to stand much less walk in the state she’d been in before. Maybe they’d given her an IV or something.

“Whatever,” she said dismissively, unable to feel even a shred of gratefulness for whatever they’d done to keep her breathing. She was alive and that’s all that mattered. Rey felt around, pushing buttons at random until a section of the ship opened up to reveal where she’d landed.

Her jaw dropped open as she stepped out of the tube and onto the ground. She began shaking her head in furious disgust. “Oh, you’ve got to be  _ fucking _ kidding me.” 

It was a  _ desert _ . She’d almost died of dehydration and he’d dumped her in a fucking  _ desert.  _ Rey wasn’t a violent woman by nature but if Black Mask had been standing in front of her . . . “Beating him to death with a tire iron would be too kind,” she murmured, her voice barely more than a croak from the lack of fluids and the screaming.

She pulled her heavy coat off and noticed she still had her bag but her scarf and ipad weren’t with her. She grimaced but there was nothing to be done about it either. She’d buy new ones when she got back to the states. Rey looked around, hoping to see some kind of landmark or road. With how her luck had been running, he’d probably made sure she ended up in the ass end of nowhere and she’d be lucky to see another person before dying of heatstroke.

Rey shuddered at the thought but her eyes alighted when she spotted something in the distance. It was impossible to tell exactly what it was, except it was tall. It could have been buildings but it also could have just been a sand-colored hill. Either way, it was at least  _ something. _

“Anything to get out of this heat.”

So she walked, her arm hanging almost uselessly by her side and throbbing every time it moved as she hobbled closer and closer to whatever it was. Sweat began beading up and running down her face and neck as she drew nearer.

There was movement.  _ There were people! _

“Oh thank Christ," Rey breathed out as she got closer.

Except . . . she began to enter what was clearly some kind of desert town and her eyes widened. No . . . not people.  _ Aliens _ . Beings of a variety of sizes, shapes and colors milled around what was clearly some kind of market street, conducting business as it it was the most normal thing in the world . . . universe. Rey staggered over to the side of one of the buildings and slid to the ground. This wasn’t Earth. The bastard couldn’t be bothered to return her to her planet and now she was somewhere else, thrown away like trash.

“Why is this happening?” she asked quietly as her knees came up and she rested her forehead on them, drawing herself inwards. Was this a dream? Had someone slipped something into her drink at the party and this was all some kind of drug-fueled hallucination? Because this  _ couldn’t be happening! _

“Dorch’a?”

Her head snapped up and she met the large fathomless eyes of a small green-skinned alien. She scrambled back, her eyes squeezing shut. “Please don’t hurt me!”

“Mona dorch’a? Che’in gresende Aurebesh’ne?” the voice asked again.

She shook her head rapidly. “I don’t understand you! I don’t understand any of it!”

“Jurten Triga gronen’e.” A second, higher pitched voice had joined in.

Her jaw trembled as she opened her eyes.  _ Oh my God, now there were  _ two _ of them! _ The first was small, like a child with green skin while the other was blue and perhaps a bit larger than Rey. They both sported large dark eyes with short snouts and pointed ears. Oh, and  _ antennae.  _

They weren’t threatening in any way but after the week she’d had, Rey had very little trust—even in herself. “I don’t know what you’re saying,” she said with a shake of her head.

The bigger one turned to the smaller one. “Triga wendrin drinta’ah kidis.”

The smaller one nodded and ran off somewhere while the larger one continued to speak to her. Rey’s watery eyes took in the alien in front of her along with the the goings on around her. While there were a large volume of aliens present, there were humans mixed in and none of them looked in any way shocked or interested. So it wasn’t just Black Mask . . . There were humans in other places in the universe . . . 

“Where the hell am I?” she asked, talking more to herself than the blue alien.

“Ord Canfre,” the alien said and it seemed to be in response to her question. 

She looked at the alien sharply. “You can understand me?”

“Cha,” it said crisply.

“Cha is . . . Yes?” Rey asked hesitantly.

“Cha,” it replied with a nod of its head.

Rey nodded back and let out a sigh of relief. She tried to get back up, but the adrenaline of the crash had worn off and exhaustion and dehydration was setting in again. She collapsed back against the wall and the alien tried to help steady her.

Its fingers were long with bulbous protrusions at the ends but Rey ignored any differences in favor of focusing on the fact that the creature seemed to be trying to assist her. “Th-thanks.”

“Una dow,” the alien responded simply.

Now that she wasn’t falling over in a panic attack, Rey was able to actually look at everything going on around her. The buildings were mostly the color of the sand, though some were more white. It looked as though stucco had been applied to whatever building material was used. Shops and businesses lined the streets along with mobile vendors that moved up and down the thoroughfare calling out things, presumably selling whatever they were carrying.

Rey turned back to the alien, its skin was a lovely shade of teal and its eyes were not just dark, they had flecks of white that made them look almost like the night sky.

“Wow,” Rey couldn’t resist saying, “Your eyes . . . they’re beautiful.”

The alien seemed taken aback and its cheeks flushed a dark turquoise as it said, “Ah Jowejin.”

It sounded like a thank you so Rey responded with, “Una dow?”

The alien nodded multiple times. “Cha cha una dow.”

“Jurtesh’ka’ah schor!” a familiar voice called from the side.

Rey looked up and spotted the smaller alien making his way back towards them. It was leading a squad of . . . She began trembling and her heart began to race.

“Mona Dorch’a?” the blue alien asked her in concern.

“It—it’s them,” Rey stuttered out as they came closer.

“Wendrin Dorch’a,” it said, trying to be reassuring but Rey just shook her head and tried to back away.

“No! No!” she cried as she hit the wall again. The alien attempted to hold her arm and made calming noises but a half dozen white-clad soldiers were moving steadily towards her. Their gleaming armor and fathomless visors instilling the kind of petrifying fear that Rey had never felt even during her childhood with her abusive foster parents.

She pushed the alien away from her. “They’re going to kill me!”

“Jum! Jum! Wendrin Dorch’a!”

By now she had fallen back onto the dusty ground and the soldiers had surrounded her. One of them began speaking to the blue skinned alien gesturing towards her. The others hadn’t pointed their weapons at her but that didn’t matter.  _ They worked for that monster. _

“Please just leave me alone!” she begged as her eyes darted around frantically.

One of them, different from the others with an orange shoulder pad, crouched down in front of her. “Bor lindek gramaw dorch’a.”

“Don’t come any closer!” she cried.

Rey felt her world tilt as one of the others spoke and the soldier in front of her nodded. “Che’in rumin.”

He reached over poked her arm with a small silver cylinder and she felt a jolt go through her body. “What—What did you d . . .”

Paralysis set in and she fell forward into the arms of the soldier. He handed his gun off to someone and picked her up. She was still very much awake but everything felt heavy and far away. The soldier lifted her into his arms, her head resting on his shoulder as he carried her down the road.

“Please . . . leave me . . . ‘lone.”

The soldier said something else to her but, she didn’t understand and now she wasn’t even able to really think. They continued walking for perhaps five minutes before their group entered a building. The air was cool and smelled like industrial cleaner and the doors whooshed shut behind them and everything inside was white. The ceiling, the walls and even the furniture all shared the same minimalistic colortones and aesthetic that the soldiers themselves bore. 

The Earth girl was carried down a hall into a quiet room away from everyone else and the soldier gently placed her onto a bed. At least it felt like a bed. She didn’t like that. She felt so vulnerable lying there while the soldiers spoke to one another and most of them left. 

She was able to turn her head a bit and one of the soldiers dropped her purse and coat onto a bench by the door. A few minutes went by but the soldier that had carried her didn’t leave and she tried to ignore him. 

Yet another man in a mask making her feel weak. 

Rey didn’t dwell on it for long as a human man came in, holding a tablet of some kind. The man and the soldier spoke for a few minutes before the man nodded and walked over to stand over her.

“Che’in rumin,” he said calmly.

If he was telling her not to worry, that ship had already long sailed. He smiled at her knitted brow and punched a few buttons on the wall beside the bed. An arm-like machine detached itself from the wall above her and began moving back and forth.

The man’s lips pursed and he tapped a few more buttons on his tablet before speaking to the soldier again. The man in the armor looked at her one more time before leaving.

“Kojarin jilten draga’ah?”

Rey would have shrugged if she could have moved a muscle. They could understand her but she could not understand them and giving them that kind of advantage over her—she wouldn’t allow it. Rey kept silent as the arm continued moving before eventually returning back to its original position.

The soldier and another man in a dark uniform appeared at the door. They all began speaking to one another. Or, more specifically, the man in black and the other man, a doctor perhaps, spoke and the soldier responded to questions posed to him.

The man in the uniform gave her a long look before nodding, almost begrudgingly, and leaving. Something was about to happen—she just knew it. Were they going to kill her, dump her somewhere else?

The man she assumed was a doctor left the room but returned in only a couple of minutes, a metal tube the size of an epi-pen in his hand. Her lip trembled as he came closer and she blinked rapidly as the tube was laid against the skin of her neck. Rey felt a prick and a jolt. She took in a harsh breath and it felt like fire was traveling through her veins. She began seizing against the paralysis, unable to vent her pain physically or verbally beyond a few moans. 

“Che’in rumin. It’s alright. It’ll be over soon.” Her eyes snapped up to the doctor. He . . . 

The soldier spoke next. “She should be able to understand us?”

The doctor shrugged, pulling out another cylinder. “It can take a few minutes.” He held that one to Rey’s throat and she felt another jolt. But there was no pain this time and she began to feel a lassitude to her limbs.

She looked frantically between the two. “You . . . ”

The soldier leaning in. “Can you understand us now?”

She blinked and looked between them. “You—You speak english?”

The doctor helped her to sit up and he began to check her over. Rey watched as he moved her arm and bit. “Where are you from?” he asked as he picked up a wide band and clipped it over her upper arm. “We are speaking standard. But the translation nanites are making it so you can understand us now.”

“N—nanites. . .?” she asked hesitantly, watching as he hit a couple of buttons on the band.

“Yes,” he said as though shooting tiny machines into a girl’s neck was an everyday occurrence.  _ Shit, maybe it was _ , she thought with only the slightest amount of dread.

“I—what is going on?” Rey questioned.

“We were hoping you would tell us that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hopefully a couple of questions that you guys had have been answered. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Rey was seated in what appeared to be an interrogation room. The walls, ceilings and floor were the same stark white, but there was a polished metal table in the middle with a few uncomfortable chairs around it. There were also what she surmised to be cameras at every corner, watching her. She’d been led in there over an hour ago and told to wait. 

The armband that the doctor had put on her had been removed after only a half hour or so and, much to her confusion, her arm felt fine afterwards.

“It was just a fracture,”  the doctor had said. “The nanites were already knitting the bone back together. This was just to make sure everything was nice and straight. Make sure you get plenty of food and liquids. Your metabolism is going a little haywire at the moment.” And then he’d sent her off.  Thankfully the trooper with the orange shoulder pad had given her a bottle of water and a few packets of some kind of flavorless wafer. It was food—whatever it was—so she didn’t care what it tasted like, and she’d eaten everything the soldier had brought to her. When the man in the black uniform and the doctor finally showed up again, she was munching on a her third bag.

“Ma,am, I am Commander Mordell Asettus. You’ve met Doctor Stavil Tem,” he said as they sat across the table from her. The soldier—the  _ stormtrooper, _ as she’d been recently informed—was standing by the door.

The commander was looking over a record of some sort as he spoke. “We’re at a bit of a loss as to your presence on Ord Canfre, Miss . . .”

“Gillespie, Reyna Gillespie,” she said.

Asettus nodded. “Miss Gillespie. Let’s start with where you came from.”

“Earth,” she answered quickly. If Black Mask had gotten there and he was working with these guys, it had to be in their computer systems, right?

The man looked at her curiously. “Dirt?” 

“No,” she said patiently. “We call our planet Earth.”

He hummed to himself for a moment before replying “I’ve never heard of that planet before. Which system is it in?”

_ Shit . . . _ “Uh . . . the sun?” she replied, her stomach sinking further by the second. Her system didn’t have an official intergalactic name because it had  _ never needed one.  _

Asettus’s brow furrowed. “That’s . . . let’s try something else. How did you get here?”

She thought back over the last few hellish days of her life. “I . . . I was just throwing a party at my home—I just got a new loft. And suddenly this crazy masked guy in black showed up and he threatened to destroy my planet if I didn’t go with him. He—he was saying all kinds of psychotic shit and I maced him and then . . . ” She thought back and remembered the words he’d spoken. They were imprinted in her mind like a red hot brand. “Grishn’ah chopntegrin staejen dega’ah,” she said and the men looked surprised. Her brow furrowed as she resaid the words in her own language. “. . . Foul creature could never be the one—That’s what he said! I—I wasn’t what he was looking for but instead of taking me back to my world, I was dumped here.”

The doctor finally spoke, his voice thoughtful. “Well, whoever it was, they wished you to survive.”

The days of torture as she slowly wasted away were far too fresh in her mind. “How do you figure that?” she asked dubiously.

Tem gestured to the empty water bottle and packets in front of her. “You were, and still  are, terribly malnourished and dehydrated, enough that you should have been dead. However you received the broad spectrum injection which has already begun repairing the damage to your cells. They’re why your arm is no longer fractured.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Injection? I only got the one you gave me.”

He tilted his head and pursed his lips as he looked over his tablet. “I only gave you the translation nanites and that was only because we already detected the spectrum nanites in your system. It was given to you within the last few hours, it looks like.”

She didn’t remember anything like that. “I—I passed out. It must have been while I was unconscious but before I was . . . jettisoned.”

“Yes, about that.” The officer began with a tinge of impatience as he tapped a few times on his tablet. “I’ve just received word that we recovered your pod, an emergency ejection tube marked as belonging to the Imperial Dreadnaught-class ship,  _ Defender _ , the jewel of the Imperial fleet and the flagship of the Supreme Ruler.”

That sounded way too complicated for her exhausted mind to fully register. “Look, I don’t know anything about a dreadnaught, any fleet or a ruler—”

“The  _ Supreme Ruler _ ,” the officer corrected quickly.

She paused and gave him a hard look. “Whatever,” she deadpanned before shrugging. “I was kidnapped by some douchebag in a mask who thought it was great fun to a slowly kill me via thirst and suffocation before dropping me here on this planet.”

She’d already realized that some of her words apparently weren’t translating which was probably for the best because the man didn’t seem offended by her word-use. “A man in a mask?” he pressed, “Could you be a little more specific?”

Rey’s eyebrow shot up. “You’ve got that many people running around on your  _ jewel of the Imperial fleet _ who wear  _ masks, _ that I need to be  _ specific?” _ she asked incredulously. 

The man tightened his jaw. “If you would please?” Asettus prompted not in the least put off by her question.

Rey sighed and all but deflated. “I don’t know,” she said tiredly, “He wore all black but not like a uniform, like layers of robes or something and he had a black mask with a metal design on it.”

The two men looked at one another, suspicion so clear on their faces that even Rey’s shocked mind could detect it. Tem looked at her closely as he asked, “And you say this man kidnapped you?”

“Yes,” she said nodding, “He came down onto my planet and threatened to burn my world to nothing if I didn’t come with him. He assaulted me and I sprayed him in the face with pepper spray and then he went crazy and started swinging his crazy red sword around.”

The officer stared at her for a minute before he hesitantly tapped on his tablet a few times. He paused and sighed before turning it around and showing her a picture. “Is this the man who . . . kidnapped you?”

Her eyes widened at the almost portrait-like image of the man in his full dark regalia. She pointed at the tablet. “Yes! Yes, that’s him!”

Asettus didn’t seem terribly impressed. “Do you not know who he is?” he asked carefully.

She shook her head emphatically. “No. He never said his name. Hell, he never even asked for mine.”

Tem was looking at her curiously. “His name is Kylo Ren. He is the Supreme Ruler of the Corellian Empire and Master of the Knights of Ren.”

Her jaw dropped. That sounded like a problem . . . for her. “I don’t know what any of that means.”

The commander’s hand dropped to the table with a loud thud that caused Rey to jump. “It means he is the sole authority over the most of this galaxy.”

She tried to imagine the idea of such a person. Rey licked her suddenly dry lips before replying, “Well he didn’t tell me any of that. He just started mauling me and sticking his face in my neck— _ without _ my permission.”

The commander tilted his head and he raised a brow. “His face? You saw his  _ face?” _ he asked with a touch of disbelief.

She looked towards the ceiling.  _ God grant me the serenity. _ “For fuck’s sake— _ Yes! _ Dark hair, dark eyes, big beak.”

Asettus’s eyes widened and he blinked several times and didn’t seem to know what to say to that. 

The door chimed and another stormtrooper appeared. “Sir, a moment?”

The commander stood up and stepped out into the hallway to speak to the ‘trooper. The door remained open and they made no effort to hush their words.

“Sir, I just spoke to a tech stationed on the Defender. Apparently the Supreme Ruler did in fact retrieve a girl from a planet in the uncharted zone. She attacked him and he had her thrown off the ship onto the first habitable planet they came across. We aren’t allowed to assist her.”

Asettus’s gaze slid back to her. “Is he coming back for her?” he asked, but they all know the answer.

“The tech said he was livid and cursing her up and down the ship. The only reason he didn’t order her death immediately is because a medic confirmed that whatever she’d used wasn’t meant to inflict permanent damage.” Which meant ‘no’.

Rey’s eyes met the doctor’s. He’d heard the exchange as well and she could see some sympathy on his face. Black Mask— _ Kylo Ren _ wasn’t coming back for her. She was stuck here and now not even these guys would help her.

Asettus came back and sat down. “Well, I suppose you were telling the truth and you seem to have found yourself in a bit of a mess.”

Her eyes narrowed. “The truth? Of course I was telling you truth. What did you think this was?”

Asettus gave her a look that was so familiar to her at this point. It was the look on the lady cop’s face as the crazies tried to volunteer to leave with Black Mask. It was the look that Fallinger had given to the women as they waited in the embassy. “Did you think I was lying? Having you on by saying I was kidnapped by your precious  _ Supreme Ruler?” _

The commander didn’t even look embarrassed to have been called out. “You wouldn’t have been the first,” he said flatly.

He jaw trembled in barely suppressed fury. “So this is a thing he does? Kidnapping women and dumping them off when he’s done being amused?”

Asettus met her gaze. “Of course not. You are . . . unique—though apparently not unique enough for him to keep you around.”

Rey felt her nostrils flare. “I didn’t ask for him to bring his ships and soldiers and  _ threats _ to my planet. I did not ask for him to come to  _ my home _ and scoop me up like  _ dog _ at a shop. I didn’t ask him to molest me and I sure a shit didn’t ask to be thrown away like trash onto your crap planet. You’re right. I’m not unique. I was one of seven billion people and for some reason, he picked me to torture for  _ days.” _

“You attacked him—” the commander began, but she cut him off.

Her hand came down hard onto the table, startling the two men. “I defended myself. Or is that not a thing out here in your  _ great _ empire?”

Asettus’ lips tightened in irritation. “Of course it is, but we can’t substantiate anything you’ve said here today.”

Rey pointed at Tem. “Except you’ve got a pod from his ship, a doctor telling you I should be dead and a  _ Supreme Ruler _ who went to my planet and  _ kidnapped _ me,” she said angrily.

The commander shrugged, unconcerned. “And perhaps you would have a case you could bring forth to a magistrate—if you were a citizen.  _ But you’re not. _ The only crime here that could be prosecuted is  _ your attack _ on one of  _ our  _ citizens.” 

Her fists clenched. “I don’t care about prosecuting anyone or whatever is done in your sad excuse for a justice system. I just want to go home. That soldier said it was in the uncharted zone. Where is that?”

The officer raised an unsympathetic brow. “Ord Canfre borders the uncharted zone, but without coordinates, you could spend years traveling through there looking for your planet. And that’s if you could even get a ship.”

Her eyes closed. “Then what am I supposed to do now?” she asked tiredly.

“That,” he said softly, “We can’t help you with. I’ll give you a few minutes to get yourself together and then you’ll need to leave.”

Rey watched the commander and the doctor leave the room in stunned silence. The bubbling anger she’d felt drained out of her and miserable exhaustion took over as she slumped. Her eyes slipped closed and rested her head in her hands as sobs threatened to come pouring out. She was going to die on this planet.

The stormtrooper who had stood by the door came over to her. “I’m sorry that this happened to you,” he said, his voice muffled by a modulator but not as severely as  . . . Kylo Ren’s had been.

She looked up into the dark visor of the soldier. “As if any of you give a damn about me.” 

The helmet tilted a bit before. “It’s not the end for you. Ord Canfre is no Corellia or Naboo but it’s not so bad.”

Rey sighed and stood up, holding her coat and slinging her bag over her neck and onto her shoulder. She didn’t give a shit about ‘Corellia’ or ‘Naboo’. “Do you know a way off this planet?” she asked, knowing the answer.

She couldn’t see his expression but he shook his head. “Without an ID chip, no reputable transport will take you off planet. And I would caution you about the ones that don’t require that. You could just as easily disappear.”

Rey nodded and looked around the room. “ I . . . I—I don’t have any money or any place to go.”

He stepped closer. “Listen, go down the main street outside the station. There is a bar with a blue sign called Drink Night that is looking for a waitress. You’re pretty and seem smart enough. Even without ID, you can get a job there.”

Rey bit her lip but nodded. “Is there somewhere I can go to stay?” she asked hesitantly.

The trooper shook his head. “Without credits, not really. But . . . ”

“But?”

He pointed to her mother’s ring. “That might be worth something. There is a pawn shop next to the bar. You can maybe sell it and get a room at the bar until you have enough to get a small place.”

Rey refused to let her jaw tremble. She’d gone to school for seven years and then clawed her way up the corporate ladder at her company to make executive director of design. She had her own team of graphic artists and marketing directors that reported directly to her on multi-million dollar ad campaigns.

And now she was going to have to sell her mother’s ring to pay for a room and stay off the street.

Kylo had watched as the tube had been ejected from the ship before they’d jumped back into hyperspace.  _ Good riddance, _ he thought. He’d intended to let her stew in the darkness of his ship until they reached Corellia, at which time he would turn her over to the conscription magistrates with a smile on his face and a request for maximum sentencing. But as he’d felt her life slipping away, he’d realized his error. She was not an imperial citizen and thus had never received one of the most important the rights of citizenship. 

He’d ordered that she be injected with the spectrum nanites, and then he’d been so disgusted with his weakness that he’d had her ejected from his ship. It wasn’t lawful conscription, but either way, she would learn what it meant to assault and  _ anger _ the Supreme Ruler. Ord Canfre was an unforgiving world at the edge of the empire, and with no translation nodes or ID, she would not last long. He still flinched in remembered pain from that fire spray she’d used. 

In the end, he was glad she’d done it. Kylo was able to rectify his mistake before they’d gotten any further. He’d need to return to that backwater planet at some point to look again for the light exemplar, but the rebels had been kicking up a storm and he needed to be on the front lines. He’d been away from the empire for too long already, mapping out the path to Earth.

His door chimed. “Enter,” he called.

A lower ranked officer that Kylo couldn’t be bothered to remember the name of entered and gave a short bow. “Sir, your ship has been thoroughly cleaned and repaired.”

“Good.” He expected nothing less.

The man hesitated. “We did . . . recover some things.”

She’d probably left her primitive rubbish all over his ship. “What?”

“These.” The man held out a small rectangular object, covered in painted flowers and a piece of decorative cloth he’d seen swathed around her neck. Kylo didn’t reach out and take them.

“Get rid of them,” he said instead.

The man nodded. “Sir.”

The officer went to leave and he was already passing through the doorway when Kylo called. “Wait.”

The man turned back. “Sir?”

Kylo didn’t know what possessed him to say, “Leave them on the desk.”

The man hesitated and then set the objects down onto the polished surface. 

“Leave," Kylo almost growled out.

The man hastily left Kylo alone again. He eyed the items, unsure why he kept them. A nothing piece of tech from a nothing world belonging to an ungrateful little bitch. The cloth meant nothing but his fingers glided over the brightly colored object before picking it up. He should throw it away.

Kylo looked at it and realized that the colorful part was only a cover and he flipped it out of the way revealing a dark screen that instantly brightened up to show the girl and—his eyes narrowed—a man. They were smiling and the man had his arm around her.

The sight made him almost irrationally angry. Was this man waiting for her back on that planet? Was she married to him? The picture faded away and the screen went dark. His brow furrowed and looked at the object.  _ Where did the image go? _

He closed it and opened it again and picture popped back up. He ran a finger over the image of the girl. She might not be the right girl but her face was the same and that was enough for now. That was, at least, until he went back and found the real one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I wanted to make sure everything was just right. :) Super special thank you to [t0bemadeofglass](http://archiveofourown.org/users/t0bemadeofglass/works) for doing some very last minute editing!


	7. Chapter 7

Rey grimaced as she stepped out of the Imperial remote office. The sun was blinding and the heat was stifling as dust and sand moved through the breeze. People of all shapes, sizes and colors milled about the road, speaking to one another and going about their business. 

The commander had allowed the stormtrooper to talk to her for a little while longer, so she’d found at least a few things out. She was currently in the small outpost of De’Pruren, which was the only place on Ord Canfre that could be considered a ‘city’.  Even so, it only housed a few thousand people. It was predominantly a transient city with a large landing port and their primary export was textiles, of all things.

But even with a name, in reality she still had no idea where exactly she was. Neither the name of the planet nor the city meant anything to her, and thanks to the shitlord, she couldn’t even get any kind of ID to use to get off this rock.

“If I ever see that masked psycho again, it won’t just be mace he gets a faceful of,” she muttered in irritation as she walked down the semi crowded street. 

Even with her foul mood, Rey could not help marveling over the sheer variety of species in the tiny outpost. It was mostly human—and she had mentally decided not to touch _ alien diversity  _ yet—but at least a third of the people there were other ‘sentients’, as the commander had called them. 

They all spoke and shouted to one another in a flurry of sound and movement. Rey did her best not to stare as each new face came into view, bringing with it an inspiration of color and texture. Five minutes into her walk and she was already sweating under the scorching hot sun of the desert landscape. She also stuck out like a sore thumb in her dark clothes and boots. The only people she’d seen who wore black were the officers, and it was obvious that nothing she wore was imperial issue.

The bar that the stormtrooper had mentioned, the Drink Night, was just up ahead, and she scanned each building as she passed by. The gold and white stuccoed structures were interspersed with other space-age architecture; some reached as high as five or six stories, but most stopped around three. It looked as though there were businesses of all types on the first levels of many of the the buildings with living situations above. She saw several humans and nonhumans— _ sentients _ —relaxing on small balconies of the second and third stories. 

Her mouth watered as she scented the delicious odors of cooking food. Food stands littered the road, though most of their food wasn’t readily identifiable. Despite the packets of wafers she’d had, she was still incredibly hungry and thirsty. It had been almost six days since Rey had really eaten anything, and she was pretty sure she didn’t care what was being served, so long as it was moderately edible and unlikely to kill her.

The Earth girl still marveled that she was even standing, much less walking down the street after what she’d been through. Rey hadn’t noticed it until the doctor mentioned the spectrum nanites, but the cut on her head had already scarred over and her arm was completely healed. How all this was possible, she had no idea--and quite frankly she wasn’t as interested in the particulars as she was with how they might help her get back home.

Rey’s stomach gave a half-hearted rumble as she passed another stand, but food would have to wait. She needed a job, money, and a roof over her head first. The stormtrooper had said the bar was looking for a waitress. She hadn’t waited tables in years, not since her sophomore year in college when she and Poe had been living together.

That had been years ago, but it wasn’t a skill you forgot. It might be years before she saw her home, family and friends again. But she’d get there . . . there were no other options.

_ The bar should be around here, _ she thought, stopping to take another look around and behind her. The buildings all blended together for the most part, only broken up now and then by random spots of new architecture. 

The stormtrooper had said it was a blue sign . . .   _ Ah! There! _ She spotted a small outcropping with a few tables under some make-shift umbrellas made of slatted wood. She stood there looking at the sign curiously. She’d seen it before but hadn’t been able to read the script. It now clearly read, “To Drink Night”. 

_ The translation nanites must also work for writing, _ she thought,  _ though not perfectly. _ It was becoming pretty apparent that some things just weren’t directly translatable to english and, in this case, the closest it could get was ‘To Drink Night’ or just Drink Night. 

“Are you alright, now?”

Rey turned to the side and her eyes met those of the alien who’d tried to help her earlier. “Oh! Yes—Yes, I think I’m okay now. Thank you for before.” Looking at the alien now without the haze of panic clouding her mind, it was clear that it was a  _ she, _ at least by human standards. 

The sentient nodded. “I’m glad they gave you the translation nodes. Navigating anywhere without them can be a bit difficult,” she said softly. 

“Yes, I’m Rey, by the way,” she said sticking her hand out for a shake.

The alien tilted her head curiously at the hand. “I’m Breeka,” she said but didn’t take Rey’s hand so the Earth girl dropped it uncomfortably.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I—I was not having a good day,” she understated.

“I thought as much,” the blue alien confided before looking back towards where Rey had been gazing before. “Are you looking for a job?”

“Yes. I—I think I’m going to be here for a while," Rey said with a self deprecating chuckle.

Breeka’s head tilted before she replied. “That bar is owned by Maelin. He’s a good sort and won’t give you any trouble. But if it doesn’t work out, you can probably also find work at the textile factories near the landing port.”

Rey nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Breeka smiled. “Voorin, my son is waiting for me. Good ending!” she said before lightly touching Rey’s shoulder and walking away.

“Good ending . . . right," Rey murmured to herself. She walked as swiftly as she could and allowed herself a small relieved smile to see the sign in the window.

‘Waiter/Waitress Position Available’

She opened the door and received a blast of cool air, and she breathed a deep sigh in relief to finally be out of the sun and heat. Her eyes scanned the tiny place, taking in the people and placement of the furniture. There was a high bar top that ran along the wall on her right with shelves of various bottles and boxes behind it. Metal stools lined the bar and behind them along the left side was a series of tiny tables. The place was dark and decorated by a few moving holographic pictures along with memorabilia of some kind for some place called Ryloth. There were a handful of humans and a few other sentients that looked up as she entered. She caught a few of them eyeing her long jean-clad legs before her raised brow scared them off.

Behind the counter stood another sentient. He was tall and green with two fleshy appendages that protruded from the head and hung down his back. He wore a white loose shirt, cuffed up at the elbows and open at his throat with dark suspenders. With the exception of the green skin and the—whatever they were on his head, he really just looked so . . . normal. Their eyes met and he motioned her over, no doubt already guessing her purpose there. She came forward and leaned against the counter.

He didn’t say anything, just continued wiping out a tall frosted glass. She stood there for a few seconds before almost blurting out, “Hi, my name is Rey and I heard you're looking for a waitress.”

The man blinked a few times before tilting his head. “You heard right.”

He didn’t say anything else so she pasted a smile on her face. “I’d like to apply for the job.”

The sentient was silent again for a long moment before finally speaking. “You’re the girl who was screaming in the street earlier.”

Rey eyes widened.  _ Of fucking course. _ “Oh! Um . . . would you believe me if I told you, I just had a really bad week?”

He eyed her curiously. “You also didn’t have translator nodes, but you do now?”

_ Christ, how fast did news travel in this place?  _ “Yep! All fixed. I’m from . . . a system in the uncharted zone. This is my first time off planet.”

The man raised a hairless brow. “And you picked Ord Canfre?”

The words tumbled out before Rey could stop them. “I assure you, this planet was  _ not _ my first choice.”

He stared at her a moment and she was worried that she’d somehow offended the man but he just threw his head back and laughed, the long tubes of flesh rippling and waving from the movement.

“Long way from home, huh?” he asked setting the glass down.

“You have no idea,” she said with a tired smile.

The green man shrugged. “Well, my home planet isn’t exactly in this neck of the woods either so you have my sympathy. I’m called Maelin and if it helps, I am a twi’lek and my planet is called Ryloth.”

She nodded eyeing his appendages. “I’ve never seen a non-human sentient before coming here.”

He didn’t seem bothered by her perusal. “Well, we get plenty of merchants and bounty hunters passing though, so you’ll get your fill of sentients in no time.” He eyed her a second. “Do you have any experience with this kind of job?”

Rey nodded quickly. “Well, I worked as a bartender and waitress back on Earth. Mixing and pouring drinks and serving. Is it much different here?”

The twi’lek tilted his head a few times and the appendages swayed to and fro. “No, that sounds about right. You’ll need to make sure to keep up with the cleaning of the bar between customers and knowing how to deal with the late night crowd. My last waitress ran off with a merc, claimed she’d finally found true love with some mandalorian.”

Rey had no idea what a mandalorian was but she was honest with her possible boss. “Well, I don’t plan to run off with a man, but eventually I’m going to try to get back to my planet.”

He looked her over, his eyes searching. “You got a ship?”

“No,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Money?”

Rey only looked at him and that was answer enough.

“Might take you a while," he said quietly.

Rey grimaced. “I figured. I don’t have an imperial ID so I can’t easily leave here.”

The twi’lek nodded. “Well, you’re hired then.”

“I was told you also rent rooms?” she asked.

Maelin nodded. “That I do. It’s 13 credits per night but I’ll take 4 credits off that if you start working in the morning. But I’m not doing a pay advance on the room.”

She hadn’t really expected that he would. “I’m going to the pawn shop next door. Hopefully, I’ll get enough to pay for the room,” she said hesitantly. She really had no idea what things were worth or if her mother’s ring had any value out here.

Maelin nodded again and she pushed away from the bar and walked back out into the sun and heat. She’d need to get something else to wear besides her dark clothes. Her blue coat was next to useless now, it seemed as well. The pawn shop was small but it was clean and organized. Gadgets and items that she could not even fathom their function lined the shelves and were displayed in cases. A few of those holograms floated about depicting other items as well. A hunchbacked little man sat behind a counter, polishing coins.

He looked up at her through large round magnifying glasses. “What can I do for you, little lady?” he asked, his voice soft.

“I’m in a bit of a bind,” she said while taking her necklace off, “so I’d like to sell something.”

The little man put the coins back down onto a mat and put it below the counter and out of sight so he could give her his full attention. “What would you like to sell?”

Her fingers curled tightly around the ring before she sighed and placed it in front of him. “I only have this,” she said despondently.

The shop owner picked the ring and examined it. “The blue stone is good quality and 2.3 hedate of diamond and . . . this metal,” he murmured, eyeing the ring critically.

She nodded. “It’s called platinum. Its rare on my world.”

“Platinum,” he said testing the word out.  _ Perhaps platinum wasn’t a well known metal out here, _ she thought with a grimace. “Just a minute,” he added as he pulled out a tablet— _ datapad _ and an instrument of some kind. He placed the tip of the instrument on the band and the pad beeped. 

The shop owner’s eyes widened. “Churkopt. What you call platinum. Very rare.” Greed had begun suffusing his features, as did suspicion. “Where did you get this?”

As if he wasn’t going to buy it off of her anyway. His poker face wasn’t  _ that  _ good. “Well I didn’t steal it. It was my mother’s engagement ring.”

“Engagement?” he asked and she could tell it was another word that wasn’t translating.

Rey shrugged. “Like when you propose marriage? The husband gives the wife a ring to show his commitment.” At his blank look, she added, “Maybe that’s just my world then.”

He pursed his lips before examining the ring again. “I’ll give you two hundred thirty credits for this ring,” he said offhandedly.

She blinked. The room was 9 credits a night so that would definitely get her started. At this point she didn’t have much choice and her mother had always been a practical woman. Rey knew that if she were still alive she’d tell Rey to take the money and buy food. Her stomach rumbled and reminded her of her circumstances.

Still . . . “Two fifty,” she said.

The broker looked up at her and scrutinized her face and then the ring again for a few seconds before nodding. “Two fifty and you give me the coat.”

Rey looked down at the bright blue garment. “You want a winter coat? Wouldn’t think that would be popular around here.”

The little man shrugged. “I buy and sell things off world too. I won’t turn a hefty profit but I can get a few credits from that.”

She thought it over but it was an easy decision. “Deal,” she said, folding the coat up and putting it on the counter as well.

The broker seemed pleased. “You got a cred chip?”

She shook her head. “I don’t have anything.”

He didn’t seem surprised. “Physical credits then.”

She nodded watched the alien pull a stack of thin foil notes from his drawer and he counted out a few different ones and thankfully the translator allowed her to see that they added up to two hundred and fifty credits. 

He pushed them towards her. “You’re new around here, yes?”

“Pretty obvious, right?” she said with a derisive snort.

The broker raised a brow. “No cred chip means no imperial bank account, which means no ID chip, am I right?”

Her head spun just thinking about it. “Yep.”

The broker shrugged, unconcerned. “I get that sort in occasionally and so I keep safe boxes for my more . . . transient clientele. You get yourself a job and you want to keep your money safe, then there’s a box here with your name on it.”

She nodded thoughtfully and thanked him. 

“Enjoyed doing business with you and if you need anything else, you come see old Waldreg,” he said in response.

Rey waved as she stuffed the notes into her pocket and walked back outside. The first order of business was food and water. She let her nose guide her to a mobile food stand where a human man was frying something up that smelled vaguely like mexican food.

“How ya doing’, missy?” he asked, turning the kabab like items over as they fried in a pan. There was a sign that listed out different things and their prices but she had no idea what any of them were.

“Hungry. Really hungry. How much are those?” she asked, gesturing to the food.

The vendor blinked at her before shrugging. “These twispas are a quarter credit each.”

“I’ll take four,” she said before pointing over to a sign that listed off a few drinks. “Are those cold?”

“‘Course.”

“One of those too.” There were little pictures of exotic fruits beside the bottles, none of which she could identify so she chose at random. “The pink one.”

“Comin’ right up.” 

She dug two credits out of her pocket and handed them over. He gave her back a half credit and she thanked him for the food and drink. It really did smell divine. Thick cuts of meat interspersed with a random vegetable and slathered in a spicy sauce. She sat down at one of the tables outside the bar. Maelin nodded to her from inside so she pulled the make-shift sun shade up and began to eat.

_ Heaven, thy name is twispa _ , she thought nearly groaning out loud as she consumed the spicy food. The meat reminded her of turkey but perhaps a bit gamier. It had been soaked in some kind of seasoning before cooking and the sauce wasn’t quite hot sauce, it had a sweeter flavor. The drink, after she figured out how to open the thing, was fizzy like a soda but it wasn’t carbonated. It was some other gas that gave the beverage a distinct flavor. Not bad, just different than what she was used to.

A shadow stopped next to her and she looked up, mid-bite into her third twispa. It was a stormtrooper.  _ The _ stormtrooper. Rey recognized the orange shoulder guard from before. She put the twispa down hastily and smiled. “Hey!”

He pulled his helmet off and she wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t  _ him _ . Unlike all the other humans that she’d seen so far in the remote office and on the street, his skin was dark. He was covered in a sheen of sweat from the heat of the planet, but he was exceedingly handsome. He was completely her type and if she’d spotted him at a club or coffeeshop back on earth, she’d have definitely given him her number. Rey wondered for perhaps the fiftieth time, how it was possible to have all these humans out here. The stormtrooper was watching her and his expression was slowly morphing into one of confusion and Rey realized she was just staring at a him with a dumb look on her face.

“Can I sit?” he asked after the silence stretched out.

“Oh! I—I’m so sorry! Yes! Please sit down,” she said, gesturing to the wooden chair in front of her.

He set the white helmet down on the table and took in her little spread. “Well it looks like you found the bar and the pawn shop.”

Rey nodded. “I got the job and a room for the night. I start tomorrow. Thank you for telling me about it," she added before taking another swig of her drink. “I’m Rey, by the way.”

“I know. I’m FN-2187,” he said with a nod.

“FN . . . 2187? That’s your name?” she asked with a confused tilt of her head.

“My designation from the orphanage. No one ever gave me another name so I just use that,” he said with a shrug.

Rey blinked several time and tried not to dwell too long on how dehumanizing that was. “Gave you . . . ? Why don’t you pick a new name for yourself?”

He looked pretty uncomfortable and she was about to apologize and rescind the question when he answered quietly. “It’s not official rules or anything but it’s just understood that someone like me only gets a name from someone else—someone who knows and respects you enough to choose something as important as a name. And you keep the name to show your respect for that person.”

Sounded like a weird sort of marriage thing to her but she didn’t voice that opinion. “2187 it is then,” she said with a smile.

He seemed happy enough to move on with the conversation. “I looked a bit more into your situation after you left and talked to a couple of ‘troopers aboard the  _ Defender  _ about what happened.”

Well that sounded promising. “Did you find out why he took me?”

The stormtrooper hesitated to meet her eyes. “It looks like there was a bit of a mix-up,” he said slowly.

Her brows shot up and a slightly hysterical smile crossed her lips. “Mix-up?” she asked calmly.

2187 looked almost guilty. “Yes. the Supreme Ruler is looking for the light exemplar.”

None of that meant anything to Rey. “What the  _ hell  _ is an exemplar?”

2187 blinked at her, apparently confused by her question. “You know . . . the living embodiment of the light-side of the Force?”

“The what now?” she asked, carefully keeping her tone even while internally screaming.

“You don’t know about that Force?” He seemed genuinely baffled at her lack of what he clearly believed to be common knowledge. 2187 gaped at her for a few more seconds before he added, “Wow, you really are from an undiscovered planet.”

At her unamused look he quickly raised his hands in mock surrender. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I mean I don’t know the specifics or anything but the Force is this like energy the flows through the galaxy and links all things together. Some people are imbued with ability to use it in the physical sense. It’s very rare and is sometimes genetic. But Force-users are able to do things like read minds and move things with just a wave of their hand.”

Her eyes slid shut. “ _ Fuck _ . . . I could have told him I don’t have any goddamn  _ super powers _ if he’d asked.” 

Finn shrugged. “I guess he figured that out.”

Rey closed her eyes and felt her face twitch in fury. “You have got to be _ fucking _ kidding me.” That shitlord had uprooted her life, dragged her halfway across the galaxy and then when he realized he’d made a mistake, he’d just dumped her on the closest planet. 

“Yeah, sorry about that," 2187 said and he seemed sincere in his sympathy to her but Rey was still marveling at all the ways she’d just gotten shafted.

“Sorry doesn’t get me back to my planet. And I can’t get off this rock. I’m gonna die on this dustball planet poor and alone.” After everything she’d done to end up  _ not _ poor and alone, she was back at square one.

The stormtrooper made a noise of sympathy. “No one at the remote office would dare assist you right now. Too much potential heat from the empire to take the risk. Maybe after a couple of years, I can see about filing for transient citizenship, but if he were to come back for whatever reason and find out what I did, I’d be killed.”

_ Holy shit. _ “Killed?” she asked.

2187 shrugged. “Well I can’t be conscripted, so I would be sentenced to labor on a mining planet, which . . . is basically a sentence of execution.”

He said it all so offhandedly, as if discussing the weather, that Rey was unsure if he was messing with her or if he really was serious. She immediately lifted her hand up and shook her head. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that,” she said with a sigh, “It’s fine. So I’m destitute on a planet filled with aliens because some asshole supreme decided that he needed to get his kicks at my expense. That’s okay. I can deal with that. I’ve been at the bottom before and clawed my way back up. This isn’t much different.”

It was, of course. She knew it was. The situation she had somehow found herself in was complete and utter  _ bullshit _ but there was nothing else for it.

“I gotta get back to the office. I’ll see you later?” he asked hesitantly.

She smiled. “I’ll be here for the foreseeable future so if you want to stop by, I wouldn’t mind the company.”

His face split with a wide grin before he put his helmet back on and she waved him away.

_ The damn thing had stopped working! _ Kylo shook the pad and tried hitting the small round button as well as opening and closing it, but the image would not activate anymore.

_ Must the woman thwart me even from halfway across the galaxy? _ he thought angrily.

Why wasn’t it working?

“Mitaka!” Kylo called through the comm system.

Seconds later the junior officer shuffled in looking as though he wished he were anywhere but in the presence of the Supreme Ruler.

“Yes, sir?”

“Find out what’s wrong with this blasted machine! It no longer turns on!”

Mitaka looked confused as he took the flowery bit of tech and examined it. “It’s fairly primitive—”

“Yes, thank you for that bit of insight, but your opinion is not needed. Get it fixed.”

“Sir!”

Mitaka spun around and scurried out in a rather undignified manner but Kylo couldn’t be bothered to care. Perhaps he’d broken it when he’d accidentally activated the rather antiquated password protection on the device. He’d not dared to try and subvert the safeguard lest everything be lost. Most personal devices only allowed a certain number of incorrect guesses before wiping everything.

He cared little for whatever other drivel the girl had on the machine, but he refused to lose the picture—at least until he found the right girl and he could look upon her in the flesh. The Resistance was a continual thorn in his side, inciting rebellion on the planets bordering the uncharted zone. They would creep from the shadows long enough to arm cells of insurgency and then step back to watch the chaos as Corellian Empire dealt with the uprisings, minor though they were.

He wasn’t needed on the front lines, but having the Supreme Ruler in the sector in person would sooth the governments of the worlds who fought to tamp down the uprisings. It would also cause the Resistance to think twice before revealing themselves.

After he found the true light exemplar, a small vacation was in order. Perhaps he’d show her around Corellia. His new summer palace would be completed in the next few months. It was inspired by the image in his mind that he’d received the first time he’d connected with her through the Force.

Lush gardens and open airy architecture to allow the occupants and guests to experience as much of nature as possible. All to allow her to feel that freedom she’d felt when he’d first experienced her existence. She would love it and he would be the one to give it to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few more questions have been answered?? Maybe??  
> Anyway, early post to make up for the late one last week. :)


	8. Chapter 8

Several days later, Rey stepped out of Drink Night tired, but feeling good. She’d just finished her ten-hour shift at the bar. It was a long shift and it was three days a week, but it wasn’t a hard job. It had taken her some time to figure out the calendar used by the Corellian Empire. The hours, seconds and days were similar to Earth, but there were five days to a week and seven weeks to a month.

She’d taken to wandering around during her days off, figuring out where she wanted to live and where she could go to buy things like food and clothing. The Earth girl had shed her dark clothing and leather boots in favor of sandals that laced around her calves and light weight sand-colored dresses. 2187 showed her around when he could—generally when the two were both not working, they were together. 

Maelin was nice enough to let her sit and read his son’s old datapads between customers so she could learn about other sentients, as well as the Corellian Empire and its history. Apparently, in order for a planet to be annexed, certain standards in education were expected to be adhered to so it was information she should know if she eventually wished to gain any kind of legal citizenship. 

Imperial history read more like a space soap opera than anything else. Rey thought a lot of it sounded pretty far fetched. Then again, she’d spent the night before working in a bar on an alien planet pouring drinks for creature that had tentacles sprouting out of its mouth and cleaning up the mess left behind after Maelin had to correct the assumption of a devaronian who hadn’t realized that she wasn’t for sale. 

Rey wasn’t sure how she felt about citizenship. It’s what both 2187 and Maelin told her should be her goal, but being a member of an empire ruled by the man who had tortured her seemed . . . well it went against everything she was. Dictatorships were never in anyone’s best interest except the people at the top, but apparently very few people had a problem with it out here. 

Except for the Resistance. Rey had seen the holovids in the bar—seen what was left of major cities on planets a galaxy away after Resistance insurgents infested them. Rey might have been a marketing exec from a primitive and undiscovered planet but even she could see that whoever was running their PR really needed to be fired. No one would support the sheer  _ mess _ these people were making in the name of freedom.

But not supporting the Resistance was not the same as condoning an autocracy, and neither was becoming a citizen for the purposes of escape—at least she hoped not. Rey hadn’t fully made a decision about it, but if it would get her home, it would just be one more thing she’d have to grit her teeth through. She needed identification papers in order to do almost anything legally within the empire. Illegal transactions always cost more and credits were something she had to keep an eye on. Prices on food fluctuated wildly in De’Pruren, especially for things that needed to be imported. 

A quarter portion of the powdered bread that people around here seemed to favor could be a half credit one day and two the next. She still hadn’t stopped being amazed at how it sizzled and puffed up, even if it tasted like cardboard that had been soaked in dish water. She didn’t have a stove or any way to cook anything in her little room over the bar—one of the many reasons she couldn’t stay there forever. 

Today was the day she was going to look for a more permanent residence. It was late, but 2187 had assured her that there would be plenty of landlords milling about even at that hour. Rey had the next day off, but as it was the day of rest so did everyone else. Nothing was open while the inhabitants of De'Pruren spent time with their families. She would be hard pressed to find anyone to speak to about renting a room tomorrow so tonight it was.

She’d been on Ord Canfre for seven days and she still hadn’t let herself fall apart. There was too much to do, too many other things to worry about. The walls between her rented room and the bar were thin and Rey was not about to sob her eyes out where her boss and the regulars would hear her. She kept everything inside and smiled everyday at the strange and wonderful creatures she met and kept herself busy even when she wasn’t working. Hopefully, she’d find a place to rent tonight and then she could move the few things she’d purchased into her new home. 

And  _ then _ she’d have her nervous breakdown.

Rey waited outside the bar for a few minutes before she spotted 2187 jogging up. He wasn’t wearing his armor, and was instead in just the black cloth under armour. He must have been sweating in that thing, but she was aware that stormtroopers weren’t really allowed to own things that weren't given to them by the empire. And apparently, it didn’t matter where you were stationed—everyone got the same clothes.

“Hey, Rey,” he said as he approached. “Have you been waiting long?” he asked.

She returned his smile with one of her own. “No, I just got done,” she answered, fingering her floral purse, the only thing she still sported regularly from her life on Earth.

The stormtrooper pulled a small datapad from his trouser pocket. “I made a short list while on break this afternoon of a few places we can try looking for a room for you.”

She blinked. “Oh.”

2187 looked instantly like a deer in the headlights. “I mean, if you want to look at other places that’s fine, I just thought . . .”

Rey smiled. “To be honest, I had no idea where to begin. Breeka suggested a building in the Floo district.”

2187 looked down at his list. “The first one on the list is in Floo, so we’re on the right track. I thought you’d like to be close to the bar and the market. Being in the center of town is also safer. People look out for one another when they’re so close together. Like everyone knows each other.”

“And each other's business,” she said, her tone amused.

2187 snorted. “Something like that. Also, I thought . . .” He trailed off and went silent.

“What?” she prompted.

“These buildings are about halfway between the bar and the headquarters—so if you ever need anything—” He flushed slightly.

She smiled. “You’re just a stone’s throw away.”

“I just want you to know that even though the Supreme Ruler made you . . .” 2187 trailed off, unsure.

“Persona non grata?” she finished for him. When his brow furrowed, she elaborated. “Outsider, pariah.”

He seemed chagrined and his expression was serious as he took her hand. “It won’t always be like that. We just need to give it some time.”

Rey shrugged. “Well, I’ve got nothing but time, so why don’t you escort me to these fancy digs you’ve chosen?”

2187 held up his arm and she wrapped her own around it. They walked through the lively crowd down the street in the direction of the remote office. She could see it in the distance, the imperial emblem glowing through the colorful lights of the shops and street stands.

Rey thought it looked more like the eye of Sauron, but perhaps she was a bit biased.

She slowed her pace as they neared her favorite food stand. No twispas today, which  _ sucked, _ but there were crispics which ran a close second on her scale of amazing. Puff pastry stuffed with meat and vegetable in a cream sauce: they were delicious, and so far they were the thing that reminded her most of home. She attributed that to how simple they were, with few ingredients. Rey was practically living off this particular food stand, which probably wasn’t terribly healthy. But she hadn’t been brave enough to try much else yet unless 2187 or Maelin specifically recommended the food.

“Let’s get something to eat,” she said, eyeing the stand.

2187 looked over towards the food. “Sure,” he answered and the pair walked over to the vendor.

“Rey! Wasn’t sure I was gonna see you today.” The man, Torjin Samaya, said with a smile as he pulled a batch of crispics from the fryer.

2187 was shooting a look that said he was laughing at her. “You know me better than that,” she responded with a knowing smile.

Torjin laughed. “Usual for you and for your friend?”

She nodded and he dished out the standard number of three onto the thin wax paper-like tray. He added another tray for 2187 and Rey gave him the credits.

“Thanks Torjin. See you tomorrow.”

“No problem, Rey. Twispas tomorrow, I promise.”

Her smile was gold and she and 2187 left the stand to stroll towards their destination.

“Making friends, already, Rey?” 2187 asked as he bit into the piping hot crispic, his shoulders slumping as the creamy mix of vegetables and meat wrapped in fried puff pastry hit his tongue. 

She chewed on her own as they walked. “I can’t cook in that room I’m renting so I eat at that stand at least once a day.”

2187’s brow furrowed. “Well, hopefully we’ll find you a place where you can cook and not eat street food for the rest of your natural existence.”

“Hey, don’t knock it. I could live off these,” she said as she finished her first crispic.

The stormtrooper looked somewhere between amused and grossed out but didn’t say anything and they finished eating in silence. Eventually they came to stand in front of a four story stucco building. It had been white washed at one point, but much of that had worn away.  She looked over at 2187, who nodded that this was the place. Hopefully the inside didn’t look like the outside.

“This is the only building in Floo with a room for rent. It’s on the third floor and is the most expensive on the list but it’s also the safest location and the biggest,” 2187 said as he read out the details from his datapad.

If both Breeka and 2187 had this place at the top of their recommendations, it was definitely worth a look. So Rey nodded and they walked inside. The walls were stucco as well but had been smoothed down and were painted a sort of watered down salmon. She thought perhaps they’d been another color at one point, but it had long faded.

2187 knocked on the door directly beside the building entrance. She heard a low pitched buzzing noise and a few curses before the door swung open to reveal a small blue alien with furiously flapping wings and an elongated protruding snout.

“What’a you want?” it— _ he _ —demanded.

“You got a place for rent?” 2187 asked while Rey stood there staring at the grizzled sentient.

The little blue alien eyed them for a second before shrugging and pulling a key off the wall from inside. He tossed it towards 2187 who caught it. “Third floor, second door on the right. Eighty-five credits a month including water and if you wants power hookup it’s another fifteen. You go up and look. You like, keep the key and drop fifty credits for the rest of the month plus next month in the box. If not, drop the key.”

At Rey’s shocked nod, the door slammed shut. She looked up at ‘87 who shrugged. “That’s a toydarian for you.”

Apparently rental agreements weren’t a thing around here. The pair walked up to the third floor and the higher they got, the worse the place looked. Rey was almost dreading what was to come by the time they reached the third floor.

The second door on the right opened with the key, though she was dubious about the lock’s actual ability to keep anything or anyone out of the place. 2187 stepped in first and she followed behind.

_ All things considered, it could have been way worse, _ she thought. It was small—smaller than just her bedroom had been in her loft back on Earth. It was maybe two hundred square feet but it had very high ceilings so it didn’t seem so bad. The walls were stained with water damage and the stucco had cracked and come off in places, but it had a bathroom with a toilet and a ‘fresher. In the main area, there was a counter that ran the length of one wall with a sink and a small portable cooktop sitting beside it.

“This is the biggest one?” she asked awkwardly.

2187 nodded and she sighed. Was it only two weeks ago that she’d been celebrating the completion of renovations on her one point five million dollar loft? Rey mentally cursed the shitlord again in her mind. The others might be cheaper but she would also bet that they would not only be smaller but probably in worse shape. The stormtrooper had also said the areas weren’t as safe or centrally located as this one.

She fought the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. “Well, I guess this will work for now. A hundred credits a month . . .” It was more than she wanted to spend. She made half a credit an hour plus tips and if the last seven days could be used to project how much she would make, it was around 150 credits for a month’s work. So more than half of her money would go to rent. Her base pay would cover that but then she’d be reliant on tips for food and other essentials.

Her mouth twisted. “I need to find a second job. One with a more reliable income.”

2187 looked up at her. “You want  _ another  _ job?” he asked incredulously.

Rey shrugged. “This apartment costs my entire base salary at the bar. If we have a lean month at some point and customers aren’t around, I won’t have enough credits to buy food.” And ideally, she wanted to begin saving money to eventually buy her own ship to get off this rock.

The stormtrooper grimaced and thought for a second. “I may have an idea about that.”

She looked up at him. “You do?”

“You have rest day off from the bar. Most places are closed on that day, but there are a few places that pay good money to have people work because the vast majority of people on this planet won’t.”

The day of rest didn’t mean anything to her culturally, so she could work with that. Breeka seemed to know everyone, so she’d ask the rodian about it tomorrow.

It had been several days since Mitaka had taken the device to fix it. Now he stood before the Supreme Ruler with it, along with a cable that looked to have been fashioned by hand. It was a mix of parts— _ converters, _ he thought.

“Sir, the machine was not broken. It ran out of power.”

Kylo’s eyes narrowed. “Ran out of—it uses a  _ battery?” _

Mitaka nodded cautiously. “It’s a primitive device. It runs on a rechargeable battery that needs to be plugged into a power source occasionally. We have developed a power cable that will plug into the ship’s power mainframe via a junction unit.”

Mitaka inserted one side of the cable into a unit on the wall and hooked the tiny metal fitting into an outlet on the device. It made a slight ringing noise, which he supposed was a good thing.

“If it runs out of power, plug it in and leave it for around an hour. That seems to work.”

“Good work.”

Mitaka’s jaw dropped open and Kylo grimaced beneath his mask at the shocked expression. “Now get out.”

“Yes, sir!”

The officer ran out of the room and Kylo picked up the tablet. He opened the cover and the image materialized before him. Kylo’s gloved finger moved over the image and he suddenly felt the urge to remove his helmet.

It was an unfamiliar feeling. He hardly ever removed it, even in the privacy of his office. He’d been unable to help himself when he’d found the girl, so consumed with the idea of his exemplar being so close. Kylo hadn’t wanted anything to separate them. He’d been so sure it was her that he’d ignored the feelings of discomfort from her. That should have been the first sign.

Exemplars were perfect compliments of one another and she should have been just as enamored with him. But she hadn’t been. She’d been afraid of him. Even knowing she wasn’t the one and that he’d never see her again . . . it still weighed on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know not as much happened here, but we needed to establish all this so we can move on to the more important stuff. :)
> 
> Additional shout out to [t0bemadeofglass](http://archiveofourown.org/users/t0bemadeofglass/works) for some very last minute editing! Thanks!!


	9. Chapter 9

While Rey was grateful to finally have a place to call her own, there were times that she _hated_ her apartment. It wasn’t the fault of the space itself, but at night when she desperately wished to sleep, all she could see were the walls of the ship— _his_ ship—closing in on her. The evac tube spinning, and her head feeling scrambled as if she’d just been run through a blender. Rey would lay awake in her make-shift bed of layered blankets and imagine the sickly sweet scent of the slowly decomposing bodies that had lain only feet from where she’d been left.

She’d decided after the third sleepless night that something needed to change. Rey wasn’t sure what kind of changes she could make to the apartment, and the Earth girl had been hesitant to ask her toydarian landlord about anything. But after she’d finally worked up the nerve, the flapping little being had shrugged and told her he didn’t care what she did so long as she didn’t poke holes in the walls.

Well, she didn’t want to make any holes. She wanted to _paint_.

Rey hadn’t done any serious painting since college. She’d worked with mixed media for various classes and projects as she completed her art history and marketing degrees, but her entire focus had been on completing her masters and then her job for the last few years. She’d always intended to take up the hobby again, but student loans and then her strenuous saving had eaten into whatever excess money she had each month.

Rey had eventually gotten her promotion to creative director, paid off all her debts and had finally been able to save up to put a down payment on her dream home—all in the space of six months. Everything had been coming together for her.

Then _he’d_ arrived.

The Earth girl looked down at the bucket of pale thick liquid. _All that work and pinching my pennies for years and_ this _is what I have to show for it,_ Rey thought with a grimace. She was going to be on this planet for a while—years, or possibly decades would go by before she’d be able to leave. A few credits spent to try and deal with her . . . issues would be a drop in the bucket in the long run. Rey had a few ideas for things she wanted to paint. Adding color to the drab water-stained walls would be a welcome change—everywhere except the space beside the door. She was already using that, penciling in little hash marks for every day she was there.

So far there were thirty nine marks.

Thirty nine days on an alien planet. One would think it would be some miraculous adventure, but that was far from her life on Ord Canfre. The days bled into one another, broken up by the occasional get-together with FN-2187 or Breeka. The rodian had been instrumental in getting her a second job as a dryer at one of the textile factories near the landing port. It was only one day a week, but it paid a credit and a half an hour so she made just over sixty credits a month from that job. The place was hot and there was a chemical scent that clung to everything, even Rey, when she left. Maelin had complained that she’d stunk even the day after so Rey made sure to scrub herself pink when she got home.

But it was a job and it paid enough to finally justify getting a deposit box at Waldreg’s shop. When Rey had gotten her first salary payment, she’d clutched the money to her chest and all but dragged Breeka down the street as fast as possible to the pawn broker.

“What’s the rush, Rey? Got a date? Seeing that _stormtrooper?”_ Breeka had asked slyly as she trailed behind the Earth girl.

 

  
_Breeka and Voorin_

Rey had frozen nearly mid stride and Breeka almost crashed into her. “What? No!” she’d said, even while her face had flushed a bit. 2187 was really good looking, but clearly uninterested in her romantically. Hell, he didn’t seem interested in _anyone_ romantically.

“Then where are you off to in such a hurry?” the rodian had asked with a tilt of her head.

Rey smiled brightly. “I actually have enough here to _save,_ Breeka. It’s my first tangible step towards getting a ship.”

Breeka had gotten a look on her blue face that said she knew it would be a long time before Rey was able to really purchase a ship, but she’d smiled and hugged Rey anyway.

“I’m proud of you,” she’d said and Rey was grateful to the other woman for her help and kindness. She was always ready with a supportive word no matter what outlandish ideas Rey threw at her.

Working with the fabrics at the factory and seeing how they were made gave Rey all kinds of ideas for different patterns. Most of the fabrics were neutral tones reminiscent of the sand and the desert, but there were a few bolts that were occasionally produced for custom orders that had Rey salivating. She hadn’t been able to help herself from sketching a few ideas for fabric patterns.

Breeka might have liked them, but Mila, the factory owner, wasn’t quite so open to making any kind of design changes or additions to her fabric lines. She was Breeka’s first cousin, but the two were so far apart in temperament that if not for the similar shade of blue to their skin, Rey would never have pegged them as related. She was a no-nonsense woman and had apparently been doing things a certain way for a _long_ time. Rey hadn’t brought up her ideas again after being shot down the first time.

“How long you been on this planet?” Mila’d asked with a raised hairless brow.

“Twenty one days,” Rey had answered, and she’d known where the conversation was headed at that point. It seemed like a lot of people were aware that Rey wasn’t an imperial citizen. There had been a bit of gossip in the beginning about where she’d come from, her lack of translation nodes and her emotional scene in the street after she’d wandered into town from the desert. She was obviously not from Ord Canfre and not from within the Empire.

Breeka had asked her about her origins and in the end, Rey had elected to keep her encounter with the Supreme Ruler quiet. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Breeka in particular, but after the way that commander had sneered at her, as though she were some star-struck fan panting after a masked psycho . . . well, it was better forgotten.

But even without the addition of Kylo Ren to the story, it was fairly obvious that Rey didn’t know much about what went out outside the tiny outpost town. Mila obviously knew that and as a result didn’t take anything the earth girl said seriously. Rey didn’t know anything about what people within the _empire_ wanted. She didn’t know the trends—hell she didn’t even know the materials very well. They weren’t exactly spinning cottons or silks in this alien factory. Mila, thankfully hadn’t felt the need to elaborate or drive her point any further. Either that or she decided her time was better spent looking over the other workers, and she’d walked off without another word.

But that didn’t stop Rey from thinking—from mentally creating her own perfect pallet and space. There was little else to engage her intellectually when all she did was serve drinks and move heaps of wet fabrics onto drying racks every day.

It had taken some saving, but she had finally put aside enough credits to at least attempt to paint what she was thinking about. While work at the factory was hard, there were other perks to working there. It hadn’t been a priority for her when looking for a job, but employees at the factory were allowed to buy fabric and dyes from the factory for a heavily discounted price.

It was common for the workers to buy cloth to sew their own clothing for themselves and their families—Mila even let them use the sewing machines in their off hours—but pigments were another story altogether. Her boss had looked at her like she was touched in the head for wasting her money, but Rey wouldn’t be dissuaded. She _needed_ something else to consume her mind besides the daily grind of survival on this dustball planet.

It wasn’t all terrible _—I’ve lived through worse and all in all,_ Rey thought as she eyed the sketch lines on the walls, _it isn’t a hard life._ She’d seen the prostitutes in other bars and dives around the landing port cruising for customers. If 2187 hadn’t been the one—if he hadn’t pitied her that day . . . it could have been a lot worse for her. Rey shuttered at the thought of what could have happened to her—what Kylo Ren had probably _hoped_ had happened to her.

But today wasn’t for self-recrimination. Rey had bought her first batch of paint. Well, it wasn’t paint in the classical ‘Earth’ sense—they didn’t have that around here. Clay sculpture was a popular . . . ish in De’Pruren, but not much else. The lack of any kind of discernible ‘arts district’ or ‘scene’ was odd, but the city _was_ on the smaller side. Rey had settled on the whitewash that was used all over De’Pruren to paint the buildings. It was cheap so long as she bought it still in powder form, only a few credits for a massive bag. 2187 was working today so she’d had to carry it herself back to the apartment. She’d eventually need several bags to paint the entire place but one was fine for now.

Rey grimaced as she contemplated how long it would take her to paint this tiny room. _Not long enough,_ she thought sourly. She’d spoken to a few people around the landing port about what it would take to get a ship. _Credits,_ she was told, _lots of them._ There were a hundred trillion sentients in the galaxy and everyone wanted a ship. But the materials to make hyperdrives were rare and exceedingly expensive. Just the hyperdrive alone was tens of thousands of credits to power a vessel the size of a winnebago. After spending eighty to ninety credits a month on living expenses besides rent, she was only able to save ten to twenty credits a month so . . . she would be here a while.

After she’d had a good cry over _that_ thought a few weeks ago, she decided to make the best of it and work with what she had. And what she had was a tiny apartment that was the most depressing thing she’d ever lived in, whitewash, and clothing dye. Rey wasn’t entirely certain this would work, but she had nothing but time to figure it out.

She took the tubes of powder dye from the counter and began dumping equal parts of red, blue and yellow to get brown. She poured some of it into another container and added a bit more water to thin the mixture out. She wanted to do the trees and other basic outlines first.

Her smaller paintbrush was primitive and not at all like what she was used to on Earth, but she hadn’t been able to find anything around De’Pruren besides the large brushes used for construction work. She’d ended up taking one of those apart and had glued and tied the bristles to a smaller wooden dowel rod to make a finer paintbrush. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best that she had.

She thought back to the colors from her memory as she painted. Her earliest memory that didn’t involve pain had been when she’d gotten lost in the forest behind her foster home. The man who’d been tasked with her care had been drunk and when he’d gotten drunk, he’d get mean. Rey had taken a few snacks and had run into the woods. She’d been four or five years old and she’d walked and walked, deeper into the overgrowth.

Looking back, she should have been terrified but all she’d felt was freedom and peace. The ground had been covered in pale purple flowers and the canopy above her thick and green. Sunlight had streamed through breaks in the leaves bathing her in streaks of gold. It was her happiest memory and she would do her best to recreate that on the walls of this dilapidated little hovel.

She painted for hours, layering shades of brown over one another to give the tree the right texture. Rey smiled as she ran her finger over a dry patch, imagining her fingers over on the rough surface. And then . . . she felt it _—the bark,_ her nails catching on the edged of the crackled material.

 _What_ . . . ?

Rey whirled around but she was no longer in her apartment. She was in the woods _— not her woods,_ she thought as she eyed a particular blue funnel-like flower. It was far too alien . . . she was somewhere else! Rey tried to speak but nothing came out. It was as if she had no control over her body. Her eyes strayed down to her hands but even they weren’t hers! They were _blue_ and had the shape and size of a male rather than her own slim and delicate fingers.

_What was happening?!_

“There you are!”

She turned and felt her face pull into a frown. “Had I wished for you to find me, I’d have made it easier for you.” The man who had found her—he was not human. He skin was patterned in different flesh-toned shades like a human but his head—it was free of hair, but there were _horns_ that crowned his bare skull.

The sentient growled. “It doesn’t matter where you run, you can’t hide from me. I’ll _always_ find you,” the other man said and Rey sneered at him.

“I won’t be made a fool of by you. Go on! Obey your family and marry that woman. I wish nothing further from you!” she said viciously, _but it wasn’t her._ This was someone else’s memory.

The man was shaking his head. “They didn’t know, Kalen! They didn’t know who you are, or what _we are_ to each other. I have spoken to my clan leader and they are deeply apologetic for putting you in that position.”

She twisted her lips and shook her head in disgust. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m going home. This entire debacle was a mistake—”

The bald alien pushed Kalen into the tree and plastered their bodies together and Rey felt their want—their _longing_ as if it were her own.

“Don’t say that,” he whispered into Kalen’s ear, “Don’t ever say such a thing to me. I would not be long for this galaxy if I lost you.”

“De’sond, what are we even doing?” Kalen asked with a tired sigh.

Rey felt the other man wrap his fingers around Kalen’s jaw and they drew close together. “We are exemplar. That is all we must ever be,” De’sond whispered as he leaned in and kissed the other man.

Rey drew in a sharp gasp and her paint brush fell from her numb fingers to the floor. She staggered back, blinking rapidly.

“What the _fuck?”_ she breathed as she tried to process what had happened. Rey put a hand over her chest. Her heart was racing and she tried to catch her breath. There was a knock at the door and her brow furrowed as she automatically called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s me!” the familiar voice of 2187 answered.

“What?” she asked the empty room almost dazed, her gaze swinging towards the window.

 _It was night!_ How long had she been standing there in that—that dream? “C—Coming!”

She hastily picked up the paintbrush and noticed with some dismay that the paint in her smaller container had dried a bit but she should be able to reconstitute it later. She put a cover over the paint still in the bucket and wiped her sweaty palms on her pants before going and answering the door.

She plastered a smile on her face as she opened her door and 2187 stood there carrying a few things to make dinner. His smile dropped and his eyes narrowed as he looked her over. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

She shook her head quickly, almost manic. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.”

2187 looked behind her into the empty room and she let him in. His eyes darted around the space, looking for the source of her discomfort before they found her half done painting of the tree.

“You’re not telling me something,” he said, turning back to her, his eyes slightly narrowed.

She took a steadying breath. “I—I just woke up. I had a weird dream, and I’m still a little flustered,” she explained, hoping he would drop it.

‘87 eyed her for another second before nodding slowly and placing the bag on the counter beside the sink. “You would tell me if you’re in trouble, right?”

She nodded and smiled. “I promise, everything is fine. Thank you for worrying but I’m okay.”

“What was the dream about?” he asked as he began opening the bags.

The face of the horned alien flashed through her mind and her jaw tightened before she replied, “You know, I don’t remember anymore.”

2187 still looked dubious but he nodded anyway as he took out the cartons of pasta and meat. He spoke about his day but she was having a hard time focusing on him. Her head hurt and she felt as though something was picking at her, trying to catch her attention. A shadow that lingered in the back of her consciousness. She didn’t like the way it made her feel, didn’t like the thought that it might have something to do with . . . the Force. So she shut it away. Locked it up and buried it so deep that it could not touch her.

The man in her dream, he’d called them exemplar. She remembered that word. 2187 had mentioned it to her before. Kylo Ren was looking for the light exemplar and he’d thought it was her. She hadn’t really given the man and his mistake much more thought beyond the usual mental threats if she ever saw him again after a particularly trying day.

The word must have stuck around in her brain for her to have such a strange dream and for it to reference the person that the Supreme Ruler was looking for. She thought about asking ‘87 about the exemplar but in the end . . . she didn’t really want to know.

Rey knew enough already; that Kylo Ren had mistaken her for someone else and she’d pissed him off by spraying mace at him. Her punishment was to potentially spend the rest of her life here on this world so close to the uncharted zone but so far from her planet that she had no idea where to even start looking. On top of the time it would take her to acquire a ship, she would potentially spend years or even decades looking in the uncharted zone for Earth.

She’d searched every database she could for any kind of mention of her homeworld or her people but there was nothing. Kylo Ren had apparently decided not to allow the coordinates and route to her world to be added to the galactic star mapping system. _Just one more way he had stuck it to her,_ she thought.

“Where are you?”

Rey looked up at 2187. “Huh?”

The stormtrooper slid the pasta and meat around the skillet as it cooked over her portable burner but he wasn’t looking at her. “You keep going somewhere.”

“I’m sorry, I just have a lot on my mind,” she said as she looked at the partially completed tree on her wall. “Just feeling a little homesick today.”

2187 nodded again. “You know you can always talk to me, right Rey?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “It’s been a long day but I wasn’t quite as productive as I wanted to be.”

The man stared knowingly at the dark blob on her wall. “I did think you’d be a bit farther along.”

Rey shrugged. “Can’t always be in the mood to be creative, I guess.”

2187 slid the food into two small plates, and Rey filled a couple of glasses with water and they sat down on the floor at her low table to eat. Dinner smelled divine, but Rey had almost come to expect that. She’d been barely able to microwave ramen before she’d been forced into her impromptu vacation, and not much had changed, but ‘87 loved to cook. She let him do it as often as he liked, and she picked up the tab for the ingredients most of time.

“You never talk about Earth,” he said quietly.

Rey sighed. “What’s there to say? The likelihood of my seeing my home again is practically nil. A ship that can get me through the uncharted zone is a minimum of twenty thousand credits. I can only afford to save maybe twenty credits a month which means it will take me a hundred years to save enough money to even begin looking for my home planet. I’ll be long dead before then.”

‘87 looked at her strangely. “No you won’t.”

She returned the look with a raised brow of her own. “Of course I will. Humans only live like eighty or ninety years,” she said leaving the ‘duh’ out of the statement.

The stormtrooper tilted his head. “You have the spectrum nodes. You’ll live a lot longer than that.”

That didn’t make any sense. “I thought the spectrum nodes just kept me from getting sick.”

2187 blinked several times. “They do more than that. They keep you healthy and in doing so, they extend the lives of imperial citizens.”

“By how much?” she asked. If she could get another fifty years, she might make it back before she croaked. Poe would probably be long dead by then but maybe she could visit his kids or something else equally morbid.

“Many people live to over a thousand years, but the norm is around eight to nine hundred,” he said matter-of-factly.

The fork in her hand slipped out of her fingers and clattered onto the plate. “Ni—nine hundred _years?_ ” she managed to stutter out.

“Yes,” he said simply

“That’s—That’s not possible,” she said, shaking her head in denial.

2187 shrugged and took another bite. “Of course it is. I’m over seventy, myself.”

“What?!”

Kylo jolted awake inside his quarters. He’d felt . . . _something._ A ripple in the Force that demanded his attention. The light exemplar . . . she had begun her awakening. His breath came in shuddering pants and sweat ran down his face as a new level of awareness seemed to blossom within his mind. He still could not fully connect with her, but he could _feel_ her.

The light . . . he—he could feel it again. He reveled in its call and basked in the warmth of its promise to him. The promise of his soul being complete once more in ways he had not felt since he was a child. The torn gaping hole in his mind—the void inside him that had begun forming when Jerah . . .

Kylo swallowed around the influx of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him, things he hadn’t felt in _centuries._ He reached out and grasped as tightly as he could to the thread of light that would one day lead him back to his exemplar.

The darkside . . . its long cold fingers which had clawed so deeply into his being—he felt the grip ease ever so slightly. Kylo could feel the balance within himself and he looked over at his mask that stared back impassively from bedside table.

He hadn’t needed the mask for some time . . . not since Earth.

When he appeared before her again, he would do so without anything between them. No masks to hide his shame. No threats to force her hand. He would be good to her. Kylo reached over towards the tablet that sat beside his mask. The glow of the machine instantly illuminated the entire room, casting a pale blue light over everything as he looked at her. The girl—he realized then that he didn’t even know her name—smiled at him, her happy expression making his lips curve up just in the corners. She wasn’t the exemplar, but looking at her and knowing that soon he’d have the right girl . . . A girl who looked at him like that.

A half formed thought—he could go back to the planet he dropped that _wench_ off on, take her back to her planet—but no. . . Even if she wasn’t the exemplar, she’d still attacked the Supreme Ruler and a few months on a shithole of a planet was better than she’d have gotten had he thrown her into the imperial justice system. No, even with his newfound benevolence, he had no reason to forgive her.

His lips twisted. He’d send someone to go get her and return her to Earth _—after_ he’d gotten the light exemplar. No need to allow the woman to sow discontent amongst her people before he even had a chance to find and perhaps properly court the exemplar.

“Wait for me,” he whispered, gazing at the image as it faded and darkness once more enshrouded the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone catch the Spaceballs reference? >.>
> 
> So sorry for the late update. In my defense I had a major calc exam Thursday night so I spent all day studying for it and then when I finally got home, I checked the editor's notes and I _really_ needed to further flesh some stuff out in this chapter. I worked for most of today writing and rewriting sections and added over 2000 words. 
> 
> But anyway, Rey is full on hallucinating. I'm sure you can all guess how well that's gonna go over with her. And people live a long time within the empire. A person might look twenty or thirty years old, but in reality(or in this one anyway), they're _much_ older. Hope you guys enjoyed the update! 
> 
> Again, super special thank you to [t0bemadeofglass](http://archiveofourown.org/users/t0bemadeofglass/works) for doing some last minute editing for me!


	10. Chapter 10

In the weeks that followed her  _ first _ hallucination, and then 2187’s revelation about what the spectrum nanites  _ really  _ did, Rey walked through her new life in a bit of a daze. The idea that by the time she made it back to Earth, that everyone she knew would be long dead was something Rey was having trouble getting past. Was it even worth it to try to return home? Between the time it would take her to save up to buy the ship and supplies she’d need for a long journey and then actually  _ finding _ Earth, everyone she knew would gone and her planet wouldn’t really be her home anymore. Home was where Poe was and without him . . . what was the point?

Rey had always been the type of person to keep her chin up and take care of business. Even when she’d been at her lowest, testifying at a hearing with bruises on her face and seeking emancipation and  _ escape, _ she’d never felt as she did now. Long life and youth might have been the holy grail of technology on Earth but she’d trade it all to be back in Manhattan with its smelly alleys and rude cab drivers . . . To have her brother back.

Rey kept a strong facade but she’d sunk into a sort of depressive state that lasted weeks when she’d realized what her future might become. She’d spent days absently painting her walls, her mind elsewhere. Her sulking was broken up occasionally by visions like the first one. Men and women fighting, talking,  _ being. _ She was always in the body of one of them, but occasionally she caught sight of her reflections in a mirror or window. Seeing herself as a young man with blue skin and red eyes the first time had been . . . different.

She did her best to ignore them and thankfully, they seemed to only happen when her mind was relaxed. During her work hours, when she was actively engaged with her jobs, they weren’t able to creep up on her. But at night when she painted or tried to sleep, they would hit her and she would be left with this feeling of emptiness—this blinding void where there was no color or texture or shadow, just endless  _ white.  _

_ Probably a side effect of PTSD or something, _ she’d decided.

2187 kept her company when he could but Rey could tell he was worried about her. If she wasn’t working at the bar or the factory, she was home, brushing on layer after layer of pigmented whitewash, highlighting and shadowing the trees and flowers. He silently watched her and it seemed as though he’d never seen a painting before. There were holo projectors which she found fascinating but the color was always washed out on those. Almost as if they’d been invented a thousand years ago but after getting it to work, neither the inventor or anyone afterwards had never made any other advancements on it and just left it as is.

While her walls had occupied her for a time that had ended on the day of her seventy second hash-mark. By that point, she’d found that she  _ needed _ the outlet in order to keep some semblance of calm. Painting and expressing herself artistically was what she now seemed to require in order to keep herself spending too much time thinking . . . worrying . . . crying.

Rey had been forced to move on to something else. She’d worked on several other projects to satisfy her craving for some form of creativity and to the alleviate the endless boredom that came with living on a planet so far out in the boonies of a galactic empire. A few pieces of clothing sewn from some of the fabric remnants that she got for free from the factory or making short videos about her life on her phone like she was vloging for youtube. She spoke in them like she was talking to Poe. Maybe one day he would see them . . . or maybe not. 

There was also the slowly enlarging pile of canvases in the corner of her tiny room. Well, they weren’t canvases in the traditional sense. She had to make her own by stretching coarse cloth over a frame made from broken shipping crates from the garbage pile next to the landing port. Necessity was the mother of invention, as they say and 2187 had been nice enough to stretch the cloth while she hammered tacks in. 

She’d started with paintings of Poe and 2187 before her art had expanded to include other things, Breeka and Maelin as well as the wisp-like images from her visions. 2187 had been nice enough to point out the species names for some of the people she depicted. Rey had felt guilty lying to him when he’d asked where she’d seen these sentients. How could she tell him that she was having nightmares and waking dreams of people who she’d never seen before?

As it was, 2187 let her have her secrets and she was grateful that he never pushed her. She was meeting him after her shift at the bar and then they were going to go watch one of the traveling plays that had recently come to the De’Pruren. It wasn’t one of the big ones but her friend had assured her that it she’d enjoy it. What Rey thought she’d really enjoy was her blu-ray player, her seventy inch TV, and the box set of Friends. 

She was just finishing up her shift and talking to Maelin, when 2187 came in . . . followed by three other men. The stormtrooper looked apologetic and she raised a brow when the group ambled up to the counter.  She recognized them, of course, from her conversations with ‘87. These were his squad-mates. FN-2199, or ‘Nines’ had pale skin and bright red hair, his mouth had creases at the corners that showed he scowled a lot. FN-2000, ‘Zeroes’ had dark skin and hair with a scar running from his forehead across the bridge of his nose to his cheek. The last, FN-2003— _ Slip, _ her mind supplied—had short light brown hair and tanned skin as if he spent all his off hours in the sun. He wore a kind smile, though he looked slightly uncomfortable.

Zeroes had his arm around 2187’s neck, almost in a chokehold as he eyed Rey. “Wow! ‘87, you’ve been holding out on us!”

“I have not! You were all there when she came in!” 2187 said in exasperation.

Nines scoffed. “She was talking crazy and looked like—” his words died at the hard look Rey was shooting him.

“Yeah, you go without food, water, and air for five days and let’s see how you look,” she said, unimpressed.

He held his hands up. “I didn’t mean to offend.”

“It’s fine,” she said, dismissively.

Zeroes piped up. “Anyway, we just came to escort this fine young gentleman to his date.”

“It’s not a date,” ‘87 muttered.

Zeroes released ‘87 and leaned over counter as he looked up at her through long dark lashes, “If you aren’t dating him, I’m available and I’ve been told I’m great fun.” His voice dropped. “In all areas.”

Rey couldn’t help it, she laughed, and a smile spread over Zeroes’ face. “‘87, you didn’t tell me how funny your friends are,” she said with an amused smile.

2187 was elbowing Zeroes out of the way. “That’s because they aren’t.” He turned back to face his squad-mates. “Alright, you got your look. You’ve talked to her, now go back to the barracks.”

“Ah, you’re no fun, ‘87,” Nines said with a scofft.

The ‘trooper wasn’t impressed. “I’m plenty fun, but we’ve got to go in a bit and she doesn’t need to be staring at your ugly mugs on the way out.”

“We’re going, we’re going!”

Slip waved dejectedly as they walked out and Rey eyed the younger man, and the lingering look he cast toward ‘87.  _ Uh huh, so that’s how it was, _ she thought. 2187 had never mentioned anything to her but then, he was pretty oblivious to the appreciative looks that were sent his way when they went out.

She smiled at her friend. “I’m going to go talk to Maelin real quick and they we’ll head out,” she said, pulling her apron off. The bar was all but empty tonight, with most of the town going to the same show as she was. Maelin was going tomorrow and she would work solo, which was pretty uncommon as Maelin seemed to prefer working in his bar over just about anything else.

Rey walked into the back and found her boss overseeing his small brewing operation. He served all the usual favorites that were imported but he also liked to craft his own liquors in the backroom of his bar. 

He didn’t seemed to have heard her enter the room. “Hey, I’m clocking out now, if that’s alright,” she said.

The twi’lek didn’t look up as he answered. “Sure, Rey. See you tomorrow,” he replied absently and she heard a tired thread in his voice.

Rey’s brow furrowed. “Is everything alright?”

Maelin finally looked up. “I’m sorry?”

“Are you alright?” she asked again, carefully.

He blinked several times before nodding quickly. “Oh! I’m sorry. I’ve got a few things one my mind. Nothing to worry about, though. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as he walked past her and back out into the bar.

She pursed her lips a bit but it wasn’t her business, really, and she didn’t think Maelin would appreciate her pushing the issue. Rey dropped her apron on a hook by the door and came back out. ‘87 was waiting for her and she smiled as she came around the counter. 

On Earth, if she’d been intending to go to a show, she would have dressed up for it, carefully applying her makeup and styling her hair into luxurious curls. She’d have chosen a beautiful evening dress or at the very least a nice top. 

Her hair hadn’t seen any heat applied to it except from the sun and it had gotten so long that she now tied it back into three small buns. Breeka had been the one to do it the first time, mimicking the mohawk of bright orange hair that grew on her own head. It was a bit fancier than just a ponytail, but after 2187 had complimented her, she’d stuck with it.

Her hair was the only thing that was anything but casual. Here, there was no point in dressing up because very few people had ‘going out clothes’. There wasn’t much point when there were few places to go. She dusted off the beige and white fabric of her work clothes and walked with 2187 towards the center of town where the play would be shown. The city was in full swing tonight as the crowds moved with them towards the giant tent. The play would only be here two or three days before moving on and everyone wanted to get in. Entertainment on Ord Canfre seemed almost an afterthought but when presented with something so rare and eventful, everyone flocked towards it.

“What is this play about, again?” she asked, eyeing the posters that had been pasted to the sides of a few buildings. 

“It’s a reenactment of the rise of the Galactic Empire after the fall of the Old Republic,” ‘87 said enthusiastically.

“And you thought I’d want to watch that?” she asked with a raised brow.

2187 looked thoughtful. “It’s not about the Corellian empire. Before the Supreme Ruler was even born, there was another Empire that spanned around forty percent of the galaxy. It was born out of the crumbling ruins of the Old Republic after the Jedi were massacred.”

That was new. She’d seen a few mentions here and there about the ‘Old Empire’ in the literature that she’d been given by Maelin, but there had never been anything about ‘Jedi’. It was easiest to just ask. “What are Jedi?”

2187 shrugged a bit. “You’ll find out during the play. If you have any questions after, I can try to answer but history was never exactly my strongest suit.”

She nodded, unsure but unwilling to give up the night of excitement. They were seated in what she would have dubbed the ‘nosebleed’ section had they been back on Earth but the place was fairly small so they were still close enough to see what was happening.

The actors were a mixture of human and sentient, with many dressed in lavish costumes unlike anything Rey had seen so far on Ord Canfre. Perhaps that’s how the upper echelons of the empire dressed or perhaps it was an exaggeration just as the movements and dialogue were fairly hyperbolic. Still, she clapped along with the crowd when some particularly daring hover-work occurred or during the fights sequences. But it was really more of a love story. The poor boy turned Jedi Knight and his doomed bride, a senator who worked tirelessly for the Republic until being assassinated by the Jedi. Her death had revealed that the boy-knight was the dark exemplar and had set off the chain reaction that put an insane emperor in power after he proclaimed himself the light exemplar. 

_ It was an interesting play, _ she thought as it came to an end, though how much of it was true, she didn’t know—if both men had truly been exemplar or if neither had been. It was ambiguous even in the play and she was still unsure what being an exemplar really meant. It was important to some people, she knew, and it seemed as though everyone had some idea of what it was but not a specific definition or purpose. She still cheered with the crowd when the actors came out for a final bow and got up with 2187. The crowd was heavy and slow moving, and Rey could hear the conversations flowing around her as people talked about the lovestory of the Jedi and the Senator. It turned her stomach to hear the the women—and quite a few men—gush over what it would be like to have the Supreme Ruler be so devoted as The Jedi had been in the past.

“So what did you think?” he asked once they’d finally exited the tent and had a little room to walk side by side again.

She forced the gossip of the other people from her mind. “I liked it. Thank you for taking me,” she said with a smile, taking his arm again. She’d liked the play overall. it was a fun diversion from the usual monotony and she had truly enjoyed the story, even if it was particularly tragic. The pair of them strolled down the street and Rey noticed once more, the appreciative looks being thrown towards the proud soldier. 2187 didn’t notice as usual and Rey allowed a slightly mischievous look to cross her face.

“So, why don’t you have a girl or boyfriend?” she asked innocently.

2187 abruptly came to a halt, his mouth hanging open. “R—Rey! Why are you—What brought this on?”

She pursed her lips and shrugged. “Oh well, I see people eyeing you everytime we step out together but you never seem to notice.”

He flushed and brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. “I—I It’s not something I’ve ever really thought about.”

_ Clearly, _ she thought with a wry smile. Slip had been pretty transparent about it and she’d only been in his presence a few minutes.

“Are stormtroopers not allowed to be in relationships?” It was the only explanation she could think of.

He was blushing furiously, looking anywhere but at her. “We are. I’m just . . . just not right for anyone right now. I’m just a stormtrooper.”

“But you’re a unit leader,” she said eyeing the orange pauldron on his shoulder.

‘87 smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “The empire doesn’t tell you this when you sign up but stormtroopers are the lowest ranked and most expendable soldiers. I was told I would eventually have the opportunity to be promoted to officer but in reality, only those who can afford to go to the academy get the chance to become an officer. In a few years, I’ll either be discharged or promoted but they rarely promote from the ‘trooper corps unless a high ranking officer recommends you for a commission.

“I don’t want to start something with someone . . . when there will always be a chance that I won’t come back from a mission. It’s fairly safe here on Ord Canfre but I could be called to the uncharted zone at any moment to fight for the empire.” ‘87 didn’t seem terribly happy with the idea of being discharged and she could tell he still had dreams of being an officer.

Her head tilted. “You practically run the entire ‘trooper corp here on Ord Canfre—”

“And after I am discharged and sent to Corellia for education training in another field, someone else will take my place,” he finished for her.

“Corellia. . .” she echoed softly. 

“The capital of the empire,” 2187 confirmed. Of course she knew the empire was the Corellian Empire but she’d never given much thought beyond that.

“Have you ever been?” she asked, suddenly curious.

The stormtrooper allowed a half-smile. “Once, when I had just enlisted. I was only a kid but it’s . . . a beautiful planet. Amazing silver cities and green for as far as the eye can see. The Supreme Ruler is very strict on what can be built on that planet as he prefers it to remain mostly untouched,” he said and she could hear the awe in his tone.

“Wish I could see it,” she said and Rey was surprised that she genuinely meant it. She wanted to see places other than this little rim planet. Maelin had spoken of the beauty of Ryloth with same look of wistfulness and Breeka had told her stories of planets where every day was a celebration that had people dancing in the streets.

He squeezed her hand. “I’m sure you will. One day. Maybe we can go together. Eventually I’ll be able to get an ID chip made for you and you’ll be an imperial citizen. I’ll go back to the Corellia to receive my education but there's nothing that says you can’t come with me. You can get another job there, easily enough,” he said and she heard the happiness in his voice.

Rey smiled and nodded. It was a nice thought on the surface. However, going to another planet and working another dead end job as a waitress was the last thing she wanted to do. But then, if it was going to take her a hundred years to save enough money to buy a ship, she might as well do it on a beautiful planet rather than a dustball backwater world. She’d need to give it more thought, but at this point, that was all still years away.

They stopped in front of her building and she gave ‘87 a hug before the two parted with the promise to meet up again in a few days. Rey walked up the stairs to the third floor and unlocked her door. She let out a sigh as she entered and closed the door behind her. The lock slid in place and she quickly shed her work clothes for something looser and more comfortable. Baggy, harem style pants and what passed for a sweatshirt on this planet beat out the tighter more durable trousers and lower cut tops that got her the most tips at the bar.

She dropped her underthings into a crude woven basket that she’d traded a charcoal portrait for at the market. She did that on occasion to make some extra credits. Not many people on Ord Canfre were interested in art as it didn’t serve much purpose but every once in awhile a merchant passing through would purchase a few of her drawings. She’d never tried to sell any of her paintings as that would take too much time, energy, and credits to set up a stall and the likelihood of her selling enough to justify the expense was pretty slim, in her opinion.

She’d eventually need to do something with all the canvases that were slowly piling up as her room wasn’t large enough to store everything. Rey looked over the small space of her apartment and her eyes hit the slightly bulging kraft-colored envelope sitting on the counter.

“Shit . . .” she muttered when she realized what it was.

She’d almost forgotten to pay her rent. Her landlord was more than a little strict about that. A day late cost five more credits. Rey quickly wrapped a makeshift ruana around her shoulders and slipped her feet back into her shoes before walking down to the first floor. She dropped the packet into the drop box beside her landlord’s door.  _ Well, that was one less thing to worry about. _

Rey was about to head back upstairs when she heard something. Her eyes narrowed and she opened the door out to the street and looked out. It was the ‘trooper siren and her head tilted in confusion before she finally figured out why it was going off. They were after someone!

Crime was almost non-existent in De’Pruren so the siren was a rare sound and she was aware that sometimes the very bored ‘troopers got a bit . . . overzealous when it came to apprehending a criminal. Rey wasn’t expecting to see anything and was about to head back inside when a flash of blue caught her eye. Someone was running towards her! They were shorter than her and most of their skin was covered but for the flash of cerulean that showed between their goggles and the rather bulging headscarf.

Rey blinked a few times as the person ran closer. She recognized that jacket . . .

“Caladon!” she called quietly, and the boy came to almost a dead halt before her.

“Rey?” he asked, hesitantly.

She shook her head at the son of Maelin. “What did you do?” she asked in exasperation.

He looked behind him before looking back up at her pleadingly. She furrowed her brow before shrugging and gesturing with a sharp motion of her head that he should go inside. He quickly ran behind her and she shut the door to the building.

The ‘troopers ran by and she felt sort of bad for hiding a criminal but Caladon was the son of her boss. There were only so many options when presented with that kind of situation and Caladon wasn’t a bad kid.

Rey turned back to him. “Come on. You can stay with me for a few hours until things die down and then we’ll get you back to your dad.”

He pulled his scarf down and his goggles up, revealing his lekku and face. “Are you going to tell him what happened?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know what happened,” she said as they ascended the stairs. “You still haven’t filled me on on why you were being chased by stormtroopers.”

The boy looked entirely too innocent. “We were just having some fun,” he said sheepishly.

Rey smiled at that, amused that the excuses of children didn’t vary much no matter when planet one was on. “Uh huh,” she said, “and what sort of fun where you getting up to?”

Caladon hesitated as they reached the landing of the third floor and walked down to her door. She unlocked it and pushed it open for the boy. 

“Well, Jerin got these spray tubes of green,” he began but paused as he took in her apartment. He blinked a few times before exclaiming dramatically as only a fourteen year old could, “Rey, your walls!”

She shut the door and came up behind the boy. “Not your cup of tea?” she asked off handedly before going to her sink and pouring them both a glass of water.

He was still looking around wide-eyed as he stammered out, “No! No, nothing like that!” Caladon took the glass and gulped down some of the water before adding, “They’re amazing! Who did this?”

Rey walked around him to sit in her lone chair in the apartment. It was an ancient stuffed chair with quite a few holes but it had been within in her decorating budget; free. “I did,” she answered.

He turned back to her. “You—With  _ what?” _ the boy asked incredulously.

“Whitewash and cloth dyeing pigments,” she said gesturing over to the many buckets of paint that she had stacked in the corner along with most of her complete paintings.

Caladon continued to blink several times as looked around and she watched with a soft smile as he touched the walls and examined the little details here and there. 

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he murmured.

Now that, she hadn’t been expecting to hear. Rey tilted her head. “Never?”

He shook his head, lekku swinging behind him. “No, never.”

“Huh,” she said thoughtfully. Perhaps hand painted art really wasn’t terribly widespread. She’d thought that it was just this planet that didn’t have it.

Caladon finally spotted the pile of canvases in the corner and once he’d realized exactly what they were, he sat himself down on her floor and began flipping through them. Most were her more abstract colorful art but there were portraits of people mixed throughout. Humans and sentients she’d seen and met in De’Pruren—Caladon’s father among them—along with images of people who were important to her.

There was also . . . 

Caladon pulled a painting from the pile that ran in stark contrast to the rest. While most were vibrant and slightly unfocused, this one was a sharp image of man surrounded by darkness. His large nose and full lips should have made him off-putting but he was striking even on her crude canvas.

  
_Art ©[Jodeee](http://jodeee.deviantart.com/)  
Used with Permission_

“Who is this?” Caladon asked, his head tilting from side to side like an eager puppy.

Rey swallowed as she kept her breathing even and her voice pleasant. “No one important. Just someone I saw at the landing port,” she said lightly.

Caladon didn’t look like he believed her and he examined the painting again. It really was quite different from everything else in her tiny collection and if even a boy like Caladon noticed . . .

He didn’t run his fingers over this one like the others. “He looks . . . scary,” the boy murmured.

Rey tried not to grimace. “He’s the stuff of nightmares,” she said honestly.

Caladon almost hastily put the painting back down as if the man in the portrait would come out and get him. The boy continued flipping through the paintings, his eyes alighting with each new image as it was revealed.

“Hey, that’s my dad!”

She smiled. “Yeah, that’s Maelin.”

Caladon pulled the painting out and fully into the low light of the apartment. It was a long painting depicting the counter of the bar. Maelin was standing in the center behind the counter cleaning a glass while customers drank and spoke to one another on either side. Most of the work was done in shades of brown, red and grey with Maelin’s striking green skin standing in sharp contrast to the rest of the image.

“Has he seen this?”

Rey tilted her head. “No. No one except my friend, 2187 ever sees this stuff. It’s not really fit for public consumption.”

“You should show it to him. He would love it!” Caladon said earnestly.

She snorted. “If you say so, kid.”

“I do,” he said, his voice serious, “These are all so great. I wish I could make this kind of art.”

Rey smiled. “Anyone can make art, it’s just a question of honing your talent and finding your niche.”

Caladon looked dubious but shrugged. “Can I have one?”

She tilted her head before nodding. “Sure. You can take almost any of them. I’ve got to start getting rid of them anyway.”

There were eleven of them there in varying sizes but only a few actually meant anything to her.

“Can I have the one with my dad?” he asked, clutching the desired painting.

“Go right ahead.”

Caladon smiled as he held it up, looking it over again.

Kylo Ren’s eyes slowly opened and he clenched his fist. That memory . . . he was reliving the important moments of the exemplars . . . again.  _ She _ was living them for the first time. He’d seen it all before—the joy and the tragedy of the exemplar. 

The swirling blue and white of hyperspace cast ripples of light in his quarters and he looked through the viewport, remembering that he could not go to her . . . not yet, anyway. He was the Supreme Ruler and with that came the responsibilities of governing the largest empire the galaxy had ever known.

He wished that he’d been there with her during her awakening but from the little he could glean from their connection, nothing major had happened to her yet. Her power was still barely noticeable—a soft chime in his mind, reminding him of his purpose—to find her and to teach her. 

To rule with her and keep the Force and the galaxy in balance. 

This memory though . . . a reminder of his past and the pain and madness that came with losing one’s exemplar. Anakin Skywalker had succumbed to the darkside—had allowed himself to be controlled so he could forget his pain. Snoke had tried to do the same, but  _ he _ . . .  _ Kylo Ren _ would be controlled by no one. He had killed Snoke and then  _ waited, _ holding on to his last vestiges of humanity even while his eyes showed his losing battle with the darkness.

But now she’d come. She was waiting safe and sound back on her little undiscovered planet for him to return to her, and he would not be weak as Vader had been. His grandfather had destroyed everything in his misguided quest to keep his wife—the light exemplar safe. He’d been manipulated by the  _ Sith _ and had been too stupid to see it.

Kylo turned away from the viewport and picked up his helmet, his mind wandering back to the dream. The beginning of the end.

“I’ll always protect you, Padme,” his grandfather had whispered. _ A lie. _

“I love you . . . Anakin Skywalker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I posted something on my tumblr yesterday basically saying that I probably won't be writing much fanfiction for a while. I am going to focus more on an original novel. Now this will not effect either this fic or RY-4209 as these are already mostly written, but I've decided to actually re-write Backwater Girls as an original novel. Now, obviously I'm not just changing the names and spitting it back out. While there is a ton of original mythology in this story, there is also a crap load of star-wars based stuff here that I can't use for obvious reasons. So far, my notes include some major plot changes, such as a galactic invasion story-line rather than the Resistance-based antagonists in this version, but we'll see how it goes.
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. I added a pic of Breeka and her son in the last chapter if you guys want to see that.


	11. Chapter 11

Kylo Ren stood at the front of the bridge, his back to the techs and officers that moved about the _Finalizer._ He’d have normally had Hux come to him aboard the _Defender_ but the man was needed to direct the latest ground assault on a recently discovered Resistance stronghold within their territory.

He grimaced. These terrorists kept springing out of the darkness of the uncharted zone like Dantooine roaches—the kind that eroded a structure to its very foundations if left unchecked.

“Lord Ren,” the general called from behind him.

Kylo turned and spotted the familiar ginger hair of his . . . friend. Hux’s expression was closed off, but he met Kylo’s gaze readily and without hesitation—as was to be expected of him. “General, we need to have a discussion—in private.”

Hux’s jaw tightened fractionally and if the Knight had not spent the last few hundred years fighting side by side with the general, he’d have surely missed even that small tell. As it was, Hux gave a short nod and said quietly, “Of course, Supreme Ruler. This way, please.”

The general made a motion for the Supreme Ruler to come and Kylo followed Hux off the bridge and into the man’s private office. The room was lit sparingly as was usual for Hux’s aesthetic. Artifacts were displayed around the office on the walls and upon pedestals when warranted. Hux’s personal collection of ancient weapons was a fascinating glimpse into the mind of the man, himself.

Kylo eyed a very specific weapon that was carefully placed upon its own display stand behind Hux’s desk. The lightsaber of Mace Windu, the indigo blade of a man who had straddled the line of the light and the dark before becoming a Jedi master. It was a relic that Kylo coveted but Hux had found it first and the Knight was not one to steal something that obviously meant so much to his ally.

If the general noticed his staring he did not comment on it. Instead, he stood in front of his ornate dark wood desk and asked primly, “What can I do for you, Lord Ren?”

Kylo was still admiring the decor when he responded almost automatically. “When we are in private you know you can address me as Kylo.”

It was an old line—one he’d said a hundred times and Hux’s response was, as always, a raised brow and a dismissal. “I’ll use your name,” he said, “when you take off that ridiculous mask.”

Kylo looked up finally from where his finger had glided over the hilt of a Mandalorian ceremonial sword. Never before had Kylo ever felt the slightest inclination to acquiesce. _Until now,_ he realized with an odd tilt of his head. Hux had hated the mask and had ranted and raved when Kylo made the decision to don it over two hundred years ago. The Supreme Ruler was silent for a long moment, staring at the person who could be considered his oldest friend.

 _It was time,_ he decided . . .

Kylo reached up and pushed his hood back, taking a strange sort of satisfaction as Hux’s eyes widened. His fingers glided over the releases and there was a hissing as he removed the helmet and he looked at Hux with just his own eyes for the first time is over a hundred years.

The man had gone silent, his gaze sliding over Kylo’s face, taking in everything that had changed and stayed the same.

“Your eyes . . .” he began in wonder.

The Supreme Ruler swallowed. “I no longer bear the mark of the Sith. The darkness has . . . receded, and my mind—things are clearer now.” And they were. His paranoia had lessened and his connection to the Force had evened out significantly.

“Since Earth,” the general guessed.

“Yes. They must have . . .” His nostril flared in remembered pain and anger. “The girl, she was frightened, but not of my eyes. Just being so close—even to the planet—after going so long without the light seems to have been enough . . . for now,” he said, reliving the feeling that had filled him when he’d thought he’d found her.

Hux had a million thoughts running through his mind and they were too fast for Kylo pick up anything individually unless he deliberately yanked on something. He didn’t think Hux would appreciate that. In the past, Kylo might not have cared but things were different, _he_ was different.

And Hux seemed to sense that as well. “When are you going back?” he asked.

Kylo grimaced as the reasoning for the delay was once more in the forefront of his mind. “As soon as this debacle is taken care of.”

And just like that, the general’s pleasant mood evaporated. “I can not be held responsible for Admiral Johanem’s blunders. He is, after all, my _superior,”_ Hux said acidly.

A fact that his friend never failed to remind him of. “Johanem is being disciplined for his involvement—”

Hux cut him off, fury lacing his tone. _“Involvement?_ Is that the word we’re using? The communications arrays were deliberately sabotaged by someone who was conscripted on his orders.”

Kylo gritted his teeth. Nothing was ever easy with Hux. “I am dealing with that, and don’t act as though you’ve never done the same.”

The general’s eyes narrowed and his lip curled. “Of course I have. And nearly every one of them has gone on to become high ranking and decorated officers and they’ve _thanked_ me for it.”

Hux’s lack of shame on the subject spoke volumes about what was going on. It was an open secret in the military that if a civilian caught the interest of an officer with enough clout, said civilian could find themselves facing trumped up charges and drafted into service. Kylo normally looked the other way—as did most others. There was a war going on, after all.

But the destroyed array was an example of the pitfalls of such a practice. The empire had lost the last battle and had been forced to retreat after supplies had been cut off from one of their border planets. Even now, Kylo was still receiving secret transmissions from the monarch of the planet asking why the empire had not liberated them yet. It was why Kylo was there; to beef up the fleet in the sector and take back the planet.

The cracks in the facade of the Imperial fleet were beginning to show. Hux had denied it long enough.

“What are we going to do about the stormtroopers?” Kylo asked carefully. It was a subject that had been discussed time and again with little give on Hux’s part—but no more.

The general looked away from him for the first time. “There is nothing wrong with them. They are perfectly trained—”

Kylo’s fist slammed down onto the desk. “In following orders. When they are cut off from us, they freeze like a doe in the light of a speeder. The communications array went down and four _thousand_ of them were captured on Lwhekk! They didn’t know what to do so they just surrendered.”

Hux’s jaw tightened. “Independence is not an admirable quality in a foot soldier.”

The Supreme Ruler shook his head. “They can not just be foot soldiers if we expect to win this war. The Resistance has already detected this weakness and their strategy has changed to accommodate it—I know you’ve noticed it too. Their systematic assassination of the ground leaders and then signal jamming has caught us with our pants around our ankles. Was the loss of contact not taken into consideration when designing this training regiment?”

Hux’s jaw tightened. “It was noted as a flaw but it was seen as a negligible threat.”

He’d known that of course, but this was the first time he’d succeeded in getting Hux to admit any kind of fault. “Your ‘negligible threat’ has the potential of bringing the empire to its knees. The entire system needs an overhaul,” Kylo said, his head shaking in disgust.

The general looked as though he’d swallowed a bug. “Our training is based on a thousand years of storm and clone trooper data.”

Kylo didn’t roll his eyes—he wasn’t wearing his mask after all—but it was a close thing. “It is inferior and you know it or you would not study the teachings of so many ancient cultures and their warriors,” he said as his eyes moved back towards the lightsaber.

Hux’s face closed off. “I admire the strength of will of a perfect warrior but the type of person that would wield any of the weapons in this room could never be a stormtrooper. That kind of person would not allow themselves to be controlled that way.”

“Then perhaps you need to relinquish some control.”

Now the general was the one who looked disgusted. “And have millions of ‘troopers running amok and doing whatever they like? There would be chaos.”

Kylo would concede that but not much more. “Then find a middle ground. _But get it fixed_. We can not afford to keep losing so spectacularly. If the press gets wind of this weakness, the empire will falter. I can not keep bailing your troops out.”

“I’ve got it handled,” Hux said through gritted teeth.

Kylo raised a brow. “As you say, but another embarrassment like this and you will find yourself playing ambassador to some backwater world.”

“You cannot pull me from the front,” Hux said, agitation clear in his voice.

The Supreme Ruler pulled his mask back on, securing it in place. “Then don’t make it so I have to. Clean up your mess,” Kylo said before he turned and left the room. He heard Hux slam his fist down onto the desk but ignored it. He’d indulged his favorite general long enough. Ideally, it would only be a month or two more before he could leave the front and go back to Earth. She was waiting for him there.

* * *

Rey put the finishing touches on what she had dubbed her ‘lovers’ series. There was a through line in many of her visions. Most—though not all—of them involved people who were experiencing an almost soul-crushing love for one another.

It was starting to grate on her.

Was _that_ what the shitlord had wanted from her? Should she have pretended to want his goddamn hands all over her? Where would she be now if she had allowed him to do as he pleased that day in the shuttle? Rey had been conflicted over the what-ifs of the situation for days, but she’d finally come to the conclusion that he would have dumped her somewhere eventually anyway once he’d figured out that she wasn’t the light exemplar. Kylo Ren had left her to suffocate and die in his ship. He was just that type of person.

The visions though . . . she’d written them off initially as perhaps some kind of weird side-effect of PTSD, but after 2187 had finally confronted her about the things she was painting—things she should have no knowledge of, she'd had to fess up.

He’d been so supportive of her and had eventually given her a datapad on Force history. That type of thing wasn’t covered on the standard imperial curriculum so she’d never read anything about what actually went on when a person was connected to the Force. It had been hard for her to accept the truth but it made the most sense. Rey was ‘Force-sensitive’, and that was why Kylo Ren had mistaken her for the exemplar. She’d just been close by and perhaps if the girl he really sought somehow hadn’t been there that day, he might have just taken the first girl with some sensitivity. After all, he’d only been ‘fairly sure’ that he’d had the right girl.

Rey just hoped that when he eventually tracked down the light exemplar, that she wouldn’t have to see _that_ as well. Being forced to live through a vision of that man and someone who looked like Rey would probably be more than she could handle. She felt bile rise in her throat at the thought, and her eye twitched in irritation as she stepped back to get a better look at the painting.

This one depicted a human woman and what she’d recently identified as a Kage male. They were locked in a battle against a shadowy enemy but their fingers brushed against one another as they moved. The woman, an older lady with pale blonde hair used a green sword of light while the other, a male with striking yellow eyes used a large blaster.

The image was still but Rey felt she’d captured the movement of both people—she hoped so anyway. She was still unsure about her own ability, and that fear had been gnawing at her the last few weeks. She’d stuck more to pencil sketches back on Earth and it had always just been a hobby, never something to be taken seriously. But after Caladon had taken the picture of Maelin back to her boss, the twi’lek had asked her to bring a few pieces to the bar to hang up. The one she’d painted of him was already hanging on the wall opposite the counter over a chess table.

He was giving her twenty credits per painting for three or four of them. The ones she was giving him were of her more fantasy-creature driven art. Maelin didn’t seem the type to really be into her pictures of romance so she was keeping those for now. Her ‘lovers’ were also her largest pieces, probably too big for the bar.

There was a knock at her door and she quickly washed her hands before unlocking and opening it. Her boss’s son stood there, his smile bright.

“Caladon!” she said, surprised to see the boy.

“I came to help you carry the paintings!” the boy said as he came inside and made a complete bee-line towards her stack of art.

He stopped before her current work. “Wow,” he said as he eyed it. “Are we taking this one?”

Rey shook her head. “No, this is too big for the bar and not really the kind of thing Maelin told me he wanted to see.”

“Oh,” Caladon said, a bit glumly. “I guess he did say he wanted some colorful stuff to liven the place up.”

She smiled. “I picked a few out over there,” she said as she pointed towards the three other paintings. “But I’m going to be late if we don’t leave now.” The boy nodded as she pulled off her make-shift painting apron and picked up one of the canvases. Caladon picked up the other two and they headed for the door. She paused long enough to draw another hash mark onto her wall. _One hundred and six now,_ she thought, her brow slightly furrowed. She stuffed the pencil back into her pocket and shut the door shut and locked it behind them.

“Thanks for helping me with this,” she said as they descended the stairs to the first floor.

“It’s no problem. I like looking at your work.”

She smiled and raised a brow. “I saw some of _your_ work yesterday.” The green paint had been rather striking against the pale sand-colored building.

Caladon didn’t even pretend ignorance. “It’s nothing compared to what you’re doing. I wasn’t even able to finish it.”

She raised a brow. “Well, perhaps next time try a small amount of paint and maybe somewhere you have permission so you can make it look exactly the way you want it.”

The boy shrugged as they walked silently the rest of the way, navigating the crowds of the market and finally arriving at the bar. Maelin waved at them as they entered. “Well, let’s see what you have there.”

Rey hoped he like the paintings. Twenty credits each for three paintings was a massive sum for her. A drop in the bucket of her dream to buy a ship to go back home, but every extra credit she added to her safe deposit box was one credit closer to that dream.

She turned the canvases around and placed them on the counter before Maelin. Some of the regulars were also looking her art over but didn’t say anything. She was nervous. The Earth girl had never painted for any purpose but recreational and now she was trying to actually sell her art. Her stomach churned as Maelin looked the pieces over, his expression curious.

He blinked at them and his head tilted in curiosity. “What are they? I don’t recognize the species.”

She blinked. “Oh! I—I’m sorry. They are creatures of legend from my world. This one—”she pointed to the canvas that depicted swirling blue and green around a tailed-creature “—is a mermaid. They would sing and lure sailors to their deaths with their beauty. This one—” the next image showed soft mix of purples and pinks “—is a unicorn, a symbol of purity and innocence on my world.” her finger moved to the final canvas.  “The last one is called a dragon.” That painting was an fusion of fiery reds and oranges splashed with white.

“I like the dragon," Caladon piped up.

Maelin smiled. “Me too. You’ll sell me all three?”

Rey nearly slumped in relief. “Of course. I’m glad you like them!”

“Oh I do. Actually I wanted to talk more with you about that.” He turned to his son, “Caladon, why don’t you go and hang these up while I talk to Rey about a few things.”

“Sure, dad,” the boy said, pulling the canvases off the counter and walking off.

Rey watched him for a second before turning back to Maelin and giving him a questioning look. He just smiled at her as he lead her to the back of the bar and into his office.

“Is something the matter?” she asked, unsure.

He shook his head, his lekku swaying lazily behind him. “Oh! No no. Everything is fine. I just wanted to talk to you about Caladon.”

Her eyes furrowed in confusion. “What about him?”

He shut to door and they sat down in front of his desk. She rarely came in here as she got the distinct impression that this was Maelin’s sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the bar and life in general.

The twi’lek gave her a small smile. “He speaks very fondly of you and your art. He really admires your work.”

Rey blinked several times. “Oh. He has talent in his own right, he just needs a bit of practice,” she said encouragingly.

Maelin’s expression was exasperated. “Ideally, not on the walls of my neighbors," he said with shake of his head. “I wanted to speak to you about perhaps teaching him to paint the way you do—with a more productive outlet.”

Her brow furrowed. “I—I’ve never taught anyone before.”

Maelin didn’t seem surprised and he sighed. “I’m hoping that if he has lessons with you he will be less likely to hang around with people who would put him in a bad situation. If you hadn’t taken him in that night . . .”

She swallowed. Rey had heard stories of people being arrested and never coming back again. “I am flattered that you would ask me but—”

He cut her off. “I know you already have a second job so you don’t have as much time to fit this in but I thought that perhaps in place of your job here in the evenings, you can use the back room to teach him. I’ll still pay you, of course and since you would not be earning tips, I’d raise your salary to a full credit per hour that you spend teaching him.”

She bit her lip. A full credit per hour wasn’t bad to teach a boy to paint. “I can try—about supplies—”

Maelin nodded quickly. “I’ll pay for that of course. Caladon tells me you make your own paints and . . . canvases?”

“Yes, I make them myself,” she said with a nod.

“Bring me a receipt for the supplies and I’ll reimburse you. And you can make your canvases here while on the clock, if that would make things easier.”

She nodded and they got up and he shook her hand. The gesture made her smile as she remembered talking to him about it over a month ago. They went out into the main room again and Caladon had apparently hung the paintings up already. He bounded up to his father. “Did you ask her?”

Maelin smiled indulgently at his son. “Yes, she will be teaching you.”

“Mog!” the boy said and Rey had identified that as the De’Pruren word for ‘cool’.

A few of the customers were looking at the paintings, and Rey noticed that Waldreg was there as well. It wasn’t often that the little man left his shop, but he did stop in from time to time. His eyes slid over to her he gestured towards the door before walking out.

Ray blinked in confusion but she wasn’t quite on the clock yet so she turned back to Maelin. “Waltreg needs something. I’ll be back in a minute.” Her boss waved her away and she walked out of the bar. The broker wasn’t on the street so she went next door and into his shop. He was back behind the counter and already working on his next little project, polished gemstones rather than coins this time.

She raised her chin a bit. “What can I do for you, Wally?”

He hated that she called him that but he never said anything since she paid her safety deposit bill on time every month.

He wasn’t looking at her and he was trying to play it cool but he’d been the one to ask her to come in which meant whatever it is he wanted, it was important. “I didn’t know you . . . painted,” he said quietly.

She looked at him oddly. “It’s not really something we usually talk about, no.”

Waldreg finally looked up and met her eyes. “Painting is something of a lost art these days.”

Rey nodded in agreement. “I’ve noticed that, it’s all holo art.”

“Do you have others?” he asked.

Ah, that’s what this was about. “Yes, I do,” she said as she pulled her phone out and opened up her gallery. She’d snapped pictures of all her works since she’d planned to try and get rid of them at some point. Rey put the phone down on the counter and showed him how to flip between the photos so he could see them all.

“These are part of a series I’ve been painting called the ‘lovers’.”

He flipped between the images, pinching in and out and taking in the details. “How many do you have in this—series?”

“There are eight in all.” To coincide with how many visions she’d had.

The broker pushed the phone back. “Maelin bought those other ones for twenty credits each, yes?”

Rey nodded. “Yes he did.”

“I’ll buy all eight for that price.”

“All of them?” Rey hadn’t expected that. One or two maybe, but all eight? Waldreg obviously saw some value in her hobby. If there was value . . . Rey could use that.

Wally tried for nonchalance. “Yes. I think I can sell them off world to some people on the festival circuit as a novelty.”

Her chin lifted. “I want thirty each,” she stated calmly.

His face scrunched up. “Thirty? You sold the others to Maelin for twenty!”

Rey was unimpressed. “I _like_ Maelin. Don’t think I haven’t found out how much you screwed me on that ring. That much platinum would have gotten me a ship and off this rock _months_ ago. An extra ten lousy credits is the _least_ you can do.”

The little man didn’t argue and he seemed rather put out. “Can’t blame a man for trying to make a living.”

“You took advantage of me and you know it,” she said heatedly.

“Fine, thirty credits,” Waldreg said with a shake of his head. He paused a moment before inquiring, “those other ones . . .?”

He was referring to the portraits of 2187, Poe and a few others. “Those aren’t for sale.”

Wally shrugged. “Bring them in tomorrow and I will have your money ready.”

She nodded. “Enjoyed doing business with you, Wally.”

He didn’t seem amused, only shooed her out of the shop. Two hundred and forty credits from Wally on top of the sixty she’d be getting from Maelin to add to her savings. It wasn’t a bad haul, all things considered.

“What did Waldreg want?” Maelin asked as she stepped back inside the bar. A few customers were admiring the new art and she smiled.

“He bought the rest of my paintings,” she said almost absently.

The twi’lek clapped her on the back. “Rey, that’s great!”

“It is, isn’t it,” Rey answered quietly.

Things were generally quiet after that, at least for the next couple of months. Rey spent a few hours before and after her usual shift at the bar in the back room instructing Caladon on how to correctly show shadow and light as well as overall image construction to make sure scale and dimension were realistic in his art. She would occasionally put music on from her phone while they worked.

The twi’lek boy seemed fascinated not just by her art but by her music and the limited movies she had on her phone as well. They didn’t seem to have anything quite like her smartphone around there, at least not in De’Pruren. Rey had explained the concept of film and movies to the boy but he didn’t seem to understand everything. Perhaps it was the translation nanites—not everything was translatable. And when she thought about it, there wasn’t anything like a cinema or even any televisions beyond the 3-D holo vids that popped up with imperial announcements occasionally.

She’d been sketching out a particularly interesting alien when she’d asked Caladon, “Do you not have movies here?”

Caladon shook his head as he carefully shaded the Ord Canfre equivalent of an orange that he was drawing. “Every once in awhile we’ll get a documentary on some of the battles being fought or on something of historical significance. And there are the stage plays, of course. But I’ve never seen anything like what you have. Your world must be so advanced.”

 _Yeah, advanced at entertaining ourselves,_ Rey thought with a self indulgent smile.

She picked up the phone and selected an app. “Why don’t we get you on here too.” He looked confused so she put an arm around him and held out the phone. “Smile!” she said as she snapped the selfie.

“Nothing happened,” the boy said in confusion but she just turned the phone around and held it out to him.

His eyes widened and he took the phone. “That’s you and me!” he said with excitement.

She winked at him. “Yep, and now no matter what happens, I’ll always have a picture of you.”

Caladon blinked. “I want a picture of you too,” he said earnestly.

She gave him a mischievous look. “Well I guess you’ll just have to get good enough to paint me, won’t you.”

Caladon all at once looked incredibly serious. “I will.”

Rey smiled indulgently and would have ruffled his hair if he’d had any. She turned on his favorite playlist and set the phone back down while they practiced sketching figures. Every once in awhile Maelin would need extra help but when things died down, she went to the back room again and helped Caladon with his drawings, helping him to focus on realistic lines and shading.

 _He was getting better,_ she thought. The last two months had shown that his talent was just waiting to be unlocked and now a few of his sketches were hanging on the walls of the bar beside her paintings.

She was showing Caladon the way she made paint so he could begin making his own when Maelin came into the back room and smiled at the paint-splattered pair.

He gestured behind him. “Rey, Waldreg is outside asking for you and I thought you were due for a break anyway.”

She nodded and stood up before turning back to Caladon. “Now just repeat that process, but this time with the red, alright?” The boy nodded as he continued mixing the paint and she walked out into the main room of the bar.

The broker was sitting at one of the tables. He was admiring what she’d figured out was his favorite painting, the one of Maelin. She sat down in front of him. “Hey Wally, what can I do for you?”

He took a sip from his drink. “I found a buyer who is interested in acquiring more pieces of your art for resale.”

She tilted her head. “Oh?”

Waldreg nodded. “Yes, he’d like to purchase other pieces on a continual basis, it looks like.”

Rey nodded. “How often?” she asked.

The little man shrugged. “One or two per month. Can you do that?”

She thought it over quickly. “I don’t know. I suppose so. One seems reasonable. Two might be stretching it. Perhaps three every two months?”

Waldreg nodded and she could tell he was calculating the numbers in his mind. “Same price as before?” he asked.

Rey pursed her lips. “I want fifty credits per painting.”

The broker’s head snapped up. “Fifty?!” he nearly shouted.

Rey narrowed her eyes. “Yes, _fifty_ . I already work two jobs and I get one day off a week. If I’m going to spend that one day working _for you_ , you’ll pay me what my time is worth.”

Waldreg grimaced but nodded. “Fine.”

“And I want better painting bases and pigments.”

“How could I poss—”

She cut him off. “I know you Waldreg. I know you are able to get things on the cheap from the regular imperial shipments. If I’m going to sell art of a higher quality to you, I want better supplies to provide it. Trust me, it will be better than my using house paint for your fancy decorative art.”

Waldreg gave her a long look before nodding shortly and exiting the shop. He would go and speak to a few contacts about securing her supplies and and she would speak to him later to confirm everything when she made her daily deposit into her deposit box.

Maelin came up behind her. “What was that about?”

“Wally wants me to paint more pieces so he can sell them offworld,” she said as she crossed her arm in contemplation.

“You know he’s probably cheating you,” Maelin stated.

Rey shrugged. “Oh I have no doubt about that, but my options are limited and it’s an extra fifty credits a month I can set aside.”

Maelin nodded thoughtfully. “Speaking of your art, I was going to ask you for another favor.”

She looked up at him, curiously. “Hmm?”

“Caladon showed me some pictures of your apartment. The forest you painted on the walls.”

Caladon must have been snooping through her phone when she wasn’t looking. It didn’t surprise her at all. He was quite enamoured with the little bit of ‘primitive’ tech.

“It reminds me of home,” she said with a soft smile.

The twi’lek nodded. “I thought as much. If I provide you with images, could you perhaps paint something like that on this wall?” he gestured to the large wall behind the counter. “I’d love it if we could have a twi’lek forest in here.”

She nodded as her eyes passed over the wall. “I could do that, I think. Caladon might be able to help me in a few parts as well.”

“Even better,” the man said.

Her boss was a funny guy. She was slowly getting the impression that he was what she’d have considered a hipster with his dry wit, ‘craft’ liquors and wall murals. If he had hair, she was sure there would be a man bun and a beard. The thought made her smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't cram too much in here. This was originally two different chapters but the latter part with Rey was all one long story about the steps she is taking as an artist as well as her becoming more in tuned with the Force--though quite passively. And Hux has finally made an appearance now that Kylo has rejoined the main fleet at the war front. Hux will be around more often moving forward.
> 
> I'm sorry for the late update on here. I won't go into specifics but I was traveling the last week or so. I'm going to try to have the next chapter of this up by Friday, but it may not be up until Saturday because the next chapter needs some heavy revision along with a new scene that I want to add in there. 
> 
> Hope this was a good chapter, though. :)


	12. Chapter 12

Kylo stalked through the halls of the  _ Finalizer _ as officers and ‘troopers bowed to him but moved quickly onto their duties. He’d been in the hangar about to disembark and return to the  _ Defender _ when a junior officer had scurried over and told him he would not be able to leave the ship. The man had been nervous but he’d stood firm with orders he’d received from General Hux.  Something was happening—something important. Kylo left the hangar and headed back towards the bridge and it was then that he’d noticed that the comms had become hazy and the holonet feeds had flickered. Neither things should be possible, let along occurring simultaneously. 

He entered the bridge to find Hux relaying orders and preparing the ship to jump to lightspeed. The general turned to face him. “Lord Ren, apologies, it will be a bit longer before you can return to your ship.”

Even as the man spoke, Kylo could see the  _ Defender _ just beyond the viewport—that is, he saw it jump away. “What is happening?” he asked as the  _ Finalizer _ too jumped into hyperspace. The destroyer barely shuddered as it began the journey. 

“The rebels are attempting to hijack the holonet. They are currently sending out a signal to try and jam our comms while they work on breaking our encryptions,” Hux answered as he picked up a datapad and handed it over.

Kylo took the pad and looked at the readouts, his eyes moving over the signal. “Are you sure this isn’t a trap?” he asked, because there, buried within the jamming signal was the location of origin.

Hux’s lips pursed and Kylo knew that he had also thought of such an outcome. “There is a probe close to the system and we have not detected any hostile ships. The planet is all but deserted. The location was buried deep—it is pure chance that we even caught their mistake. We will be there momentarily to engage them along with the 38th division fleet.”

The 38th was under the command of a lieutenant general, someone below Hux in ranking and who would follow Hux’s lead on the attack rather than the ginger haired man having to take orders from someone else. 

The supreme Ruler continued to monitor the read-outs from the signal. “How close are they to being able to broadcast?”

Hux was silent and Kylo looked up in time to see the man’s jaw twitch. “Too close,” he answered as the ship dropped out of hyperspace.

The general turned away and began barking out orders as he coordinated the attack along with the Defender and the ships of the 38th. 

“Location!” he called for he and everyone else could see through the viewport that there was nothing but desert on the planet directly below them.

“Korzan plaines in the L2 quadrant.”

A holo projection of the planet along with the location of the fleet and the strong hold materialized in front of Hux and his eyes moved swiftly over the image, making instantaneous decisions. Kylo could see that the base was clear on the other side of the planet. The destroyers were not made for speed and it would take time for them to circle the planet.

“Deploy TIE squads one through fifteen and bring us about,” the general called and the techs acknowledged as they relayed the orders to the squads and other ships in the vicinity. The fighters were released like a swarm of insects from  _ Finalizer _ and Kylo could see the other destroyers doing the same as they moved around the planet towards the base location.

Mere minutes later the attack began and information began to stream into the bridge. One of the techs called out, “Sir, they have a planetary deflector shield!”

Hux whirled around towards the hologram of the planet. “Increase speed to maximum auxiliary and get us over those bases!  _ Now!” _

Another tech spoke up. “Sir, they will be through our holonet encryption in two minutes.”

It would take  _ four _ for the destroyers to be in range the base and able to destroy the deflector shield. Kylo could feel Hux’s fury seeping past his senses and then his eyes narrowed.

“Location of the 17th division fleet,” he called out.

“Western Reaches. Lorantin Sector.”

Hux grimaced. He would have known the location of the 17th division already but the confirmation annoyed him—not because he would have to ask for help, but  _ who _ it was he was asking for help from. “Tell them to jump immediately to this planet’s location. Relay the base’s coordinates and tell them to fire at will the second they arrive! Pull our forces back!”

“Yes, sir!”

They were still not within sight of Resistance base, but Kylo could see the image of the 17th division fleet arriving over the holo projector. The TIEs had left the line of fire as the star destroyers fired upon the base.

But it was already too late.

“Citizens of the empire. You have been lied to.”

Kylo felt his stomach drop as he turned to face the Imperial Holonet feed.

A hush had descended upon the crew as the woman continued speaking. “I am General Leia Organa and I fight for your freedom. The Corellian Empire and the Supreme Ruler would have you believe that my people and I are terrorists seeking to destroy your way of life, but that could not be further from the truth.”

Kylo’s eyes were wide and his jaw was hanging open like many on the Bridge but Hux had other ideas. “Destroy that base! Fire everything we have!”

There was a flurry of movement as the  _ Finalizer _ was finally in range and it too began to fire on the deflector shield surrounding the base.

The recording continued. “Your leader, Kylo Ren is a  _ liar  _ and not who you think he is. For a hundred years, this galaxy was slowly destroyed by the Sith emperor, Palpatine, and now the  _ Supreme Ruler _ would have you believe that he fought against such a fate—that he was stronger than his origins.”

She paused for effect before continuing.  _ “He is not. _ He is just like his predecessors and he is a  _ sith! _ He will bring about the downfall of this galaxy just as Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader did in the past. He hides his face under that mask, not to disguise a disfigurement from the war but to hide his sith eyes—”

The transmission was abruptly cut off as the destroyers succeeded in overloading and destroying the deflector shield and began bombing the base. Kylo did not wait for further confirmation from Hux and he left the bridge, walking silently and alone through the ship. He could feel the eyes of the crew on him—on his mask and knew that now they all wondered about him. His fist clenched. Trust Leia Organa to use such underhanded tactics to try and undermine his authority—it was the only real play they had.

“Lord Ren!” a voice called and Kylo stopped and turned to find Hux hurrying behind him.

“General. I am going back to the  _ Defender. _ We can reconvene at another time.”

Hux looked around but saw no one in the immediate vicinity and he leaned in. “Our response to this must be swift! We can not allow doubt to linger in the minds of the citizens!”

Kylo waved him away. “Deal with it as you see fit.”

Hux shook his head mutinously. “This is not a problem that anyone other that  _ you _ can fix. Go back to the  _ Defender _ and prepare.”

He was nearly afraid to ask. “Prepare for what?”

“To show the galaxy that you are still the same man that you were before. That you are still the war hero that delivered them from slavery at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong. You’ve hidden yourself all these years and we’ve let you but we can no longer afford that. No more masks, no more holding back.” Hux stepped closer and his words became low. “You are the  _ Supreme Ruler, _ and it’s time for you to step back into the spotlight. She just tried to use  _ your own press _ against you. We will return that back on the Resistance a hundred fold.”

Kylo looked away. Hux was right . . . when his eyes had changed, he’d taken a backseat in his own empire—allowing others to delegate and run much of the rule in his place. He’d been afraid of what he would do with absolute power. But things were different now. He’d found the light exemplar and his mind was clear once more.

He nodded. “Leave nothing of that base but rubble and then come to me on the  _ Defender.” _

A slow smile spread over Hux’s face as he inclined his head. “Yes, sir,” he said before turning and walking back towards the bridge. The trip back to the  _ Defender _ was short and silent, but Mitaka appeared at his side as he landed, datapad in hand.

The pair walked through the ship with Mitaka updating him on any new relevant information. “Sir, Admiral Johanem will be docking with us in twenty minutes and has requested an audience with you.”

Kylo nodded. “General Hux will be arriving shortly as well. Notify me when he has arrived and I will see them both at the same time.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Supreme Ruler slowed his stride and turned to the lieutenant. “Prepare the mass holo projection room and alert the press that I will be making an statement shortly in response to the Resistance Leader’s announcement.”

Mitaka’s jaw dropped open but he nodded and began typing something on his datapad furiously.

They arrived at his quarters and he paused. “Anything else?”

Mitaka swallowed and his voice lowered a bit. “Sir, we located and procured the items you requested and they have been placed into the adjoining quarters.”

Kylo nodded and sent the lieutenant off with a wave. The young man scurried away and Kylo entered his quarters, his eyes instantly drawn to the attack still going on beyond the viewport. The Resistance base would be destroyed soon enough and he turned away, his attention instead on the tablet that sat beside his bed. He picked it up and powered it on, allowing the glow to illuminate the whole room as her smile filled his vision.

He ran a gloved finger over her face before moving away, carrying the pad towards a door that he rarely used. Kylo took a slow breath as he hesitantly typed in the locking code and the door slid open. There was a short hall and then another door that was unlocked for now, but could be re-engaged when the future occupant eventually took up residence.

It opened for him without prompting and he stepped into the dark space. “Lights fifty percent,” he called and the entire space was bathed in a golden light cast by three large leafy crystal chandeliers. Every other room on the ship was cold and minimal, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself from placing things within this space, things he thought or hoped she would like based on the little he knew about the exemplar. He’d known for a long time that she liked nature and green—mostly from the memory of the forest that he held on to like a life preserver and then there was the glimpse . . .

Kylo walked over and stood before a small side table. The original image he’d drawn laid there—the one he’d used back on earth to find the exemplar. Her smile was wide and mischievous as she’d gazed through a mirror back at someone. He opened the tablet again and picked up the drawing, holding the two side by side. The Supreme Ruler grimaced. He could find no discernable difference still between the girl and the exemplar.

He was tempted to send someone to retrieve her. If he could not have the true exemplar now, he could at least have the substitute to lessen the ache. But no . . . He could not allow himself to be taken in again by the face of another who was not meant to be his.  _ She was not the one he sought! _ Kylo looked down at her visage, and he knew he should throw the tablet away—destroy it so he would not be reminded of  _ her _ anymore.

But he needed this tangible thing—something to hold and know that he hadn’t imagined the memories from before . . . or the sporadic images and feelings he was getting now. Kylo placed the drawing back down before turning away and looking at the new items that had been added. 

It was strange . . . he’d gone months without feeling much from the exemplar besides that she was alive. She had something to keep her occupied, and while it did not make her happy—very little did from what he could tell—it did not sadden her as he’d felt before. No doubt she was finally recovering from not being chosen by him that day on the planet. Perhaps she’d felt him and had felt the emptiness as he did when he’d had left. He would apologize to her for taking the wrong girl, it was a hideous mistake on his part and she wouldn’t have known any better.

But his exemplar was . . . content. She was doing something that she enjoyed at times. He’d tried hard to  _ see _ but he only occasionally caught glimpses of painted walls and sketches.  _ His exemplar was an artist, _ Kylo had realized. She liked to  _ create. _

All at once, his newly discovered artistic talent had made sense.  _ He’d gotten it from her. _ The Force must have known how hard it would be for him to find her, even having narrowed it down to one planet—but he’d been able to draw her from the glimpse he’d received a few years ago.

Kylo ran his fingers over the sketching supplies he’d had brought in. Pads of expensive papers and smudging pencils for her to use while he procured other tools for her. He would make sure the summer palace was stocked with traditional art supplies, rare though they were. 

He’d been planning to leave the front soon, but after this debacle, there was simply no way he could be leave the empire again on such short notice. He’d already left for over a month the first time to find the exemplar, and that was the reason such a strong push had been made into Imperial space.

He would need to be sure the next time that he chose the right girl. Kylo looked down at the image that flickered to life again on the pad. She was so beautiful in his eyes. He’d lost his friend before, but that boy lived on within her and Kylo would not lose them again. 

The comm went off in his quarters, interrupting his reverie, and he could hear it chiming softly through the open doorway. Kylo glanced one more time at the drawing on the table before moving away and heading back to his own sanctuary. The doors slid shut behind him and he answered the comm.

“Yes, Mitaka?”

“Sir, Admiral Johanem and General Hux are aboard and waiting to speak with you.”

“I’m on my way.”

He set the tablet down moved back towards the door. Mitaka waited outside the conference room and the young man seemed rather frazzled. A cursory glance into his mind yielded the cause. Johanem and Hux had never liked one another and had never been afraid to let either and anyone else know. Kylo bit back a sigh as he nodded to Mitaka before entering the room.

“This all your fault!” Johanem said from his place on one side of the table, his words heated and low.

Hux sneered. “Really? And here I was thinking that perhaps this was the handiwork of another of your conscript recommendations,  _ Admiral.” _

Johanem’s cheeks flushed red. “How dare y—”

“Gentleman,” Kylo said as he came around to stand centrally between the two men.

Johanem instantly gave a saluted bow that Hux mimicked, more to not be shown up by the admiral than out of any real necessity towards such a gesture.

Johanem spoke first. “Sir, as I was telling  _ General Hux, _ here, if he had informed my division in the first place about this attack, we could have prevented the hacking of the holonet.”

Hux’s jaw twitched. “And as  _ I _ was informing  _ Admiral Johanem, _ the Resistance had inside help. They broke the encryption far too quickly for it to have been anything  _ but _ an inside job.”

The admiral turned a shade of puce that was unbecoming at the less than thinly veiled accusation.

Kylo shook his head. “Your bickering will get us nowhere,” he said rather than addressing either party’s grievances.

Hux spoke first, “Of course, sir. We need to move quickly to quell any doubt about yourself or the empire.”

“How can we?” Johanem asked incredulously and Kylo got a glimpse of Johanem’s mind—his fear was palpable that everything would come crashing down when they could not prove that Kylo Ren had not gone completely dark. The eyes of the sith flashed through the man’s mind.

_ Kylo’s eyes. _

The Supreme Ruler looked at the other man intently. “You saw me . . .”

Johanem looked up but he could not meet the Supreme Ruler’s gaze. The admiral had seen him during the final battle with the Yuuzhan Vong—when Kylo himself along with his Knights had driven the enemy from the capital. He’d cut down the invaders left and right without pause or mercy.

The admiral had come with reinforcements, and before the Knights had had a chance to sweep Kylo away from the battlefield, the older man had  _ seen _ him, the crazed smile on his face and red-yellow eyes of the sith. 

He’d never said anything to anyone in all these years, he’d supported the empire and the Supreme Ruler, instead. For all that he hated Hux, he was loyal. Kylo reached up and lifted the mask from his face, barring himself before another of his men. The admiral still would not look at him, afraid of what he’d see.

“Admiral . . . look at me.”

Johanem swallowed but his gaze landed obediently on Kylo’s face.

The news broadcast had been playing snippets of General Organa’s announcement over the holonet for hours but no one had turned off the projector. Apparently Kylo Ren himself was going to make an announcement at some point. In the meantime, however pundits and politicians alike were simultaneously questioning the Supreme Ruler but keeping their words carefully neutral.

There was a sense of fear not only from the people over the ‘net but even with the customers who came through the bar. No one know what to do if Kylo Ren even had such eyes. Rey wasn’t sure what to say or think. She wasn’t entirely sure what ‘sith eyes’ were but he’d looked fairly normal to her when she’d seen him.

Caladon would be arriving from school soon for his art lesson, and she thought they would maybe leave the bar and sketch some of the people in the marketplace rather than Rey sitting for him, as they’d been doing the last few weeks while he practiced. She poured another drink for a mandalorian, but he barely acknowledged her, eyes glued to the holonet projector like everyone else.

She really didn’t care about whatever the shitlord had to say.

Rey had all but tuned the entire thing out, focusing instead on her job and readying the expensive sheets of paper that Maelin had bought for her to use for Caladon’s lesson. She heard the door to bar open, and it was then that she noticed the hush that had descended over the bar.

Rey looked up and her brow furrowed as she realized that Kylo Ren had finally made his appearance on the Holonet. It occurred to her then that in the two hundred and four days that she’d been on Ord Canfre, that she’d never seen him ever address the empire directly. Having something like ‘Sith Eyes’ must have been quite the insult for the man to actually do something like this, she realized as she finally paid any attention to what he was saying.

“The terrorist Leia Organa came before you all today, with her intent to disrupt the lives of every citizen plain for all to see,” he said, his voice the same guttural modulated tone that it had been when she’d last heard it.

A shiver ran down her spine as flashes of the red laser sword and burning red eyes washed over her thoughts. Suddenly it was as if all the air in the room had been sucked out and she was again suffocating in that shuttle waiting for death.

Rey took in a wheezing breath and clutched at the bar to keep from falling to the ground. 

Maelin had an arm around her within seconds. “Rey. Are you alright?”

“The Resistance called me a liar—a man who has succumbed to the dark side of the Force and she attempted to prove it by now forcing me to unmask myself.”

Rey’s breath was shuddering. “I—I’m okay.”

“You don’t seem okay.”

“I wear my mask for personal reasons, but it has become clear that wearing it is not in the best interests of the Empire.”

Rey looked up to see Kylo Ren reach up as he had before and hit the releases of his mask. He pulled the helmeted piece up and away revealing the oh-so-familiar face.

She felt her stomach roll and her breakfast threatened to rise up.

“Rey,” called another voice and she spotted Caladon on the other side of the bar pointing towards the projection. The boy had a confused look on his face. “Isn’t that the nightmare man?

Kylo Ren was still as off-puttingly good looking as he’d been before, and she really  _ was _ going to throw up now. Rey hurried past her startled boss and headed for the ‘fresher. The contents of her stomach hit the bowl and she trembled with disgust and fear.

_ He’s not here. He left you alone. He’s not ever coming back. _

She told herself these things over and over again, forcing herself to believe them. She was safe from the man who haunted her nightmares. Rey took a steadying breath and looked into the mirror. Her skin was blotchy and her eyes glassy with unshed tears. 

There was a knock at the door. “Rey, are you alright?” Maelin called.

She swallowed and tried her best to keep her voice light and unconcerned. “Yeah, I’m fine. I must have ate something bad this morning. Just give me a second.”

“Alright, let me know if you need anything.”

Rey turned on the faucet, cupping her hands under the running water and bringing it up to her lips to gargle a bit before spitting it out.

She again looked in the mirror. “You’re fine. You’ll never see him again. He can’t hurt you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates should be back on track now! 
> 
> Big thank you to [t0bemadeofglass](http://archiveofourown.org/users/t0bemadeofglass/works) for putting up with me while I wrote out a brand new chapter instead of ya know . . . editing what I already had.


	13. Chapter 13

Rey didn’t allow herself to stay in the ‘fresher for more than a few minutes—she was at work and breakdown or no breakdown, she had a job to do. She took a quick breath before stepping out and pasting a carefully pleasant expression on her face.

A good number of the people who had been in the bar before had left, meaning the announcement was over. Caladon waved at her and Maelin gave her a searching look but he didn’t push her. She swallowed but smiled and came back around the bar.

“I’m sorry about that. I think I ate something bad this morning.”

“You said that before, but you’re alright now?”

“Oh sure. It’s not like I can really get sick,” she said dismissively.

She’d come to realize during her months on Ord Canfre that she never felt any aches or pains from a hard day’s work or even caught a cold. There were times, late at night, when she wanted to try and claw them—the nanites—out of her. She would be caught in the throes of one of her many nightmares—usually starring the nightmare man, as Caladon had come to call him—and it was as if he was  _ there  _ with her, looking for her and trying to  _ see _ her. She didn’t feel human anymore and the lack of any kind of pain in her life made it hard to stay focused on her goals. Day after day of nothing but the same and nothing to tell her that she was working as hard as she could and always feeling like she should be doing more.

“That’s a common side effect,” 2187 had said one night when she’d confided in him. “It happens to a lot of people, especially those who get the injection as an adult. They’re so used to their body telling them when they’ve had enough, that when they don’t get those signals anymore, they just keep going.”

“I guess that’s good for the empire.”

“Well, people are more productive when they aren’t in pain, that’s true,” he said thoughtfully. She’d been grateful that he’d been about to explain it, and knowing that was she felt was normal helped to take some of the weight off her shoulders.

Rey was shaken from her reverie when Maelin spoke. “It’s slowed down in here, Rey. You two want to head back?”

She looked up and met her boss’s gaze. He was still concerned for her, she could tell, so she did her best to perk up. “Actually, I was thinking he and I could go out to the market and practice drawing some people from life—people besides me.”

She’d allowed Caladon to draw her and she’d sat still for him as he did he best to sketch her out. The only problem with such a thing was that now, Maelin’s office was full of sketches of Rey and not much else. Caladon’s crush had become more than a tad obvious though no one ever said anything about it.

Maelin seemed relieved. “Someone besides you would be good.”

She shot him a humorous smile before walking back to the back room. Caladon had already started setting his pencils and paper up in anticipation of sketching Rey again, but she stopped him.

“I thought we’d try something else today,” she said.

The boy looked up. “What do you mean?”

“We’re going to go out and you’re going to try and draw someone else besides me.”

“But I like drawing you,” Caladon said, but he gathered his thing anyway.

“Yes, but there are a million other sentients out there and don’t you want to be able to draw and perhaps paint them?”

“Like your paintings?” he asked.

She smiled and nodded. “Yes, just like my paintings.”

Rey helped him to carry the paper out of the bar and they walked together down the street. There were people and sentients everywhere and she waved at the few that she knew. De’Pruren wasn’t a big city and many people knew some of her story and nodded her way. Rey had never been one to ‘fit in’ anywhere but she’d somehow managed to make herself a decent life in the tiny desert town on a backwater rim world.

They headed towards the Imperial Remote Office. It was the largest building in the city and the unofficial center of town. There were businesses and restaurants around it and it had the widest variety of people. There wasn’t any real place to sit so she brought them over to one of the cafes that had small tables and chairs out front.

She didn’t even look at the menu before ordering a couple of bantha milkshakes. The waitress, a lithe devaronian girl, took the order briskly and walked off leaving her with Caladon again.

“What should I draw?” he asked after they’d been sitting for awhile.

“Whatever you want. Try something different though,” she said, pulling her own sheet of paper back along with a clipboard.

“That guy is so mog,” Caladon said, pointing towards a man who seemed to have just landed on Ord Canfre. He carried a bag and looked rather frazzled, absently dabbing his skin with a white piece of cloth as sweat gathered.

_ He was a chagrian, _ she realized. Tall, with horns jutting out from fleshy protrusions on either side of his head as well as up from his skull.  _ His was an amphibious species, _ she remembered,  _ but what was he doing here on a desert planet? _ The man quickly entered one of the restaurants, presumably to get out of the heat and perhaps replenish his moisture reserves, but they could still see him clearly through the restaurant’s viewport.

She looked over to find Caladon furiously scribbling on his paper and she smiled, looking around the busy street herself. Most people were going about their business, but there were still plenty of sentients with their eyes glued to the Holonet projector. 

“Can you believe he took his mask off?” someone asked from behind her.

“I know! And no sith eyes! Those resistance fighters are getting desperate, obviously. Kylo Ren would never give in to the Sith.”

“And the light exemplar—dead at the hands of the general—”

Rey didn’t know what possessed her to turn in her seat and face the two human women who were gossiping behind her.

“What happened to the exemplar?” she asked and the two women looked up in surprise.

“Weren’t you watching?” one of them asked.

She shook her head. “Ah no, I was in the middle of a work shift.”

They blinked and one of them pointed towards the holonet projection. “They’re about to show the clip again.”

Rey swallowed but turned anyway to watch.

The Supreme Ruler’s face was already uncovered and he looked quite bored with the proceedings, but then he spoke. “I know it was assumed that I donned my mask to hide a scar from the war, but that is not now, nor was it ever, the case. It is true that I am the dark exemplar, and as many of you know, I have been searching for the light exemplar for quite a long time. Leia Organa claimed that I had not risen past my origins and that I had gone without the exemplar for too long.

“What she neglected to disclose is what happened to the last light exemplar. Jerah was my friend and would have been a great man had he been allowed to live. After discovering during our childhood that I was the dark exemplar, Leia Organa and her supporters attacked the school I was attending with one purpose: to murder me.”

He paused for effect and even now after everyone had already seen it, the sentients who sat around her, still gasped.

“She failed in her attempt to assassinate me, but instead killed Jerah, the light exemplar, by mistake. That was over five hundred years ago and I’ve been alone ever since. I keep the darkness at bay and every day is a struggle—I do not deny that, but as you can see, her attempts to destroy me—destroy our empire—have failed once more.”

_ The Resistance general had killed the last light exemplar?  _

This was only Kylo Ren’s side of the story, of course, but the general herself had been the one to hijack the holonet and apparently start something she was unable to finish. She must have truly believed that Ren had those ‘Sith eyes’, whatever they were, and had bet everything on the Supreme Ruler either revealing it to be so or not removing his mask, which was an answer in and of itself. The whole thing was way too complicated and if Rey was being honest, she really didn’t give a shit about Kylo Ren and his insurgency problems. The Earth girl had bigger fish to fry.

“What do you think Rey?” Caladon asked as he turned his pad and revealed his drawing.

It was the chagrian, done in Caladon’s usual style of making his creations longer and thinner than they were in real life. She encouraged his stylization, and the sentient looked quite a bit more beastly with long spindly fingers and his horns that curled rather than standing straight up.

“I like it,” she said and the boy beamed proudly.

They continued to sit there a bit longer and Caladon tried drawing other people while they sipped on their milkshakes—she still hadn’t gotten used to the blue milk. After an hour they left the little cafe and headed back to the bar. 

The place was quiet during that time of day, still too early for those getting off work to drop by and there was time for Caladon to show Maelin his drawings.

“You’re getting better and better, Caladon,” Maelin said as he looked over the newest drawings. 

“I like this . . .” He waved his hand over the drawing, emphasizing the length of it and Rey smiled.

“That’s his personal stylization. It’s what makes him unique as an artist,” she said and Maelin nodded in hesitant understanding. When she’d first begun teaching Caladon, she’d gotten the impression that Maelin expected his son’s art to be identical to her’s and perhaps have a more photorealistic quality to it.

But that just wasn’t how Caladon saw the world—or galaxy. He saw the curvatures and swirling designs of life in a way that reminded her almost of an art nouveau style, but less . . . romantic, without the perfect symmetry and smooth lines.

“You finally quit your job at the factory?” Maelin asked as Caladon packed his things up again to head home. Tomorrow was the day of rest and normally Rey would have worked at the textile factory, but since she’d started selling her paintings, she’d had to quit to keep up with her agreement with Waldreg. She was also making a bit more as a painter now than she did as a dyer. 

Rey nodded as she watched Caladon walk off with his sketches. “Yeah, last week was my last day,” she said.

“I know I gave you a hard time over the smell, but it  _ was _ a steady paycheck.”

She shrugged. “If painting doesn’t work out I can always get another job, but for now—I know I haven’t been getting enough sleep the last few weeks. I think I need a break.”

It was hard to tell with the nanites, but four hours per night could not be healthy. The days bled together for her, and she was thankful that her phone still worked. It was set to remind her every day to draw out another hashmark. This morning had been the hundred and seventy-second mark. Nearly six months. 

Rey still listened to her voicemail messages from Poe and James and even sometimes from her ex-boss reminding her about her deadlines. She did wonder sometimes what they thought might have happened to her—what they would think when Kylo Ren showed up again looking for another girl.

Sometimes she wondered which of the other girls was the real exemplar—if it was really the girl in the white coat or perhaps one of the others? Was it someone who hadn’t even been there? Hopefully, the next girl would have a better go of it than Rey had.

She sighed as she was shaken from her thoughts by the light and blast of warm air that came into the tiny bar when the front door opened. Maelin was further back wiping down tables so Rey looked up to greet the new comer.

“Welcome to Drink Night,” she said easily, though she was a bit taken aback by the newcomer. It was the chagrian from the market center. What was he doing all the way over here? Maelin’s bar was on the outskirts of town and frequented by the locals rather than the transient pilots and smugglers who stopped for fuel at the landing port.

The sentient barely spared her a glance as he walked towards a small table set opposite the bar. He paused to look at the painting of Maelin before seating himself primly and Rey raised a brow and shared a look with her boss. The twi'lek shrugged and she shook her head as she grabbed an order pad and walked over. Normally, the regulars stopped at the bar and got their drinks before sitting, and then she just kept them coming. This sentient expected full service in a hole-in-the-wall dive bar.

Rey would have laughed, but really, this was far from the strangest thing that she’d seen so she walked over and stood beside him.

“What can I get for you?” she asked with a smile.

The blue alien didn’t even look at her. “The name and address of the artist who painted these,” he said gesturing to the hanging canvases on the walls.

Maelin, who had moved closer, possibly in the event of trouble with this unfamiliar sentient, looked her way with a raised hairless brow. He continued to wipe down tables but his ear was practically twitching as he eavesdropped.

She tilted her head. “Oh? And why would you want that information?”

The chagrian finally looked at her. “My dear girl, I’m sure that’s none of your business.” 

Maelin snorted from where he was bent over the next table over. “Well considering she painted them, it might be,” he said with a laugh before walking off.

The chagrian’s entire body shifted so he could look her over entirely. “You’re human,” he stated with some surprise.

She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. “Noticed that, did you?”

He looked properly chastised for a few seconds before his eyes darted around the establishment. “Are you working to further your art?”

She blinked at the man for a second. “If by furthering you mean paying my rent and making enough to eat, then yes.”

The sentient was clearly confused and his pulled out a datapad. “Did you not paint this work?” He tapped a few things before handing it over to reveal an image. She instantly recognized it as the Phoenix that she painted about two months ago. “Yes, what about it?”

He didn’t seem to understand her nonchalance. “This work just sold for almost 2000 credits.”

The datapad slipped from Rey’s hand and landed on the floor with a clatter. “Did you just say  _ 2000 credits _ ? There has to be some mistake.”

The chagrian bent over to retrieve his pad. “Works by the Artist have been fetching thousands on the market since debuting four months ago. The previous series sold for more but those were much larger than your latest ones.”

“Th—Thousands?”

He looked concerned at the shock on her face. “Surely you were aware that your work is fetching these prices.”

_ Of course she wasn’t.  _ She wouldn’t be living in a tiny apartment and making her art in the backroom of a bar if she’d been aware. Rey clenched her jaw. “No . . . I make about fifty credits per piece when I sell them to the shop owner next door.”

The man’s jaw dropped. “Fifty? My dear girl. Your work is being celebrated in the art community as a revival of classical techniques.”

Rey shook her head. “They’re just paintings. They’re everywhere on my planet.”

The chagrian seemed confused. “Surely you are aware . . .” he trailed off and Rey was certain there was something she was missing.

She sighed. “I’m not from around here. My planet is in the uncharted zone.”

He blinked and she could tell he clearly hadn’t expected that answer. “How did you end up here?”

Rey’s face flattened. “That is a really long story and you and I need to be on at least first name terms before I go into that.”

The man hurriedly sputtered out, “Oh! My apologies. I am Gilas Her’le, I represent an artistic commune.”

She didn’t put her hand out for a shake as she’d have done in the beginning. “Reyna Gillespie, but people call me Rey. Why exactly are you here looking for me?”

“The commune that I represent is interested in adding your talents to our collective.”

Rey shot him a bewildered look and he hurried to explain. “It’s not nearly as strange as it sounds. Our group live together in our own small village of artists and we work on our art together.”

The Earth girl had flashes of the hippy crunchy granola communes on Earth. “How exactly does that work?” she asked suspiciously.

Gilas looked like he’d been waiting for her to ask that very question and he hurriedly tapped on his pad again, bringing up images like some kind of travel brochure. “Well, our group began around four hundred years ago as a way to keep the art pure with low stress and creative exchange between artists. I work as the primary broker and keep a gallery that hosts the art. I sell the pieces on behalf of the artists in order to get the highest possible sale price. And for those whose art does not require that, I match clients with the artist. We have a fashion designer that is now one of the most prominent designers in the galaxy because she joined the commune. She dresses the most beautiful and powerful women and men in the empire.”

“And what do you get out of it?” Rey asked eyeing the man’s rich clothing.

He didn’t seem offended. “For each piece sold, I receive twenty five percent, the commune itself receives twenty five percent and the artist receives fifty percent of all sale prices. The members of the commune vote and decide how the funds are allotted. Building new structures, paying landscapers, etc. In exchange you live at the commune for free and—if I may say so—after hearing what you’re making at the moment, you’ll definitely benefit from joining us.”

She swallowed, looking down at the images on the pad. “This seems . . .”

“Too good to be true?”

Rey tilted her head. “Somewhat, yes.”

Gilas seemed quite understanding. “I will admit, this is not an offer that is extended often. We are a small group and we do not accept members on a regular basis. Another artist has to leave before we accept a new one. You’ve made quite the splash and no other artist in the commune does anything quite like what you do.”

Rey thought back over what she’d observed since she’d left Earth. “It seems not many people do.”

The sentient smiled. “I see you’ve noticed that, even here. Your type of art, stylized and yet realistic depictions of people and creatures . . . Well, it’s an art that isn’t practiced much anymore. Most people have holo projectors to display images. That type of art, especially using something such as paint, fell out of fashion hundreds of years ago as something dated and antiquated. Much of the skill was lost because no one teaches it, either.”

“But now people like it?” she asked, still baffled by the very notion.

Gilas nodded. “Well, no one has seen anything quite like it for some time. Some paintings do still exist from long ago, however they are closely guarded in private collections. Yours are some of the first to hit the open market is hundreds of years. And done in such vibrant colors, they have become popular quickly.”

“I see,” she said after a moment.

He took her hand into his own. “Dear, I’m not sure that you do. You need to establish yourself quickly or copycats and forgers will begin to undercut your profits if they can. A few fakes have already sprouted up.”

“Profits,” she echoed. Rey had never really seen herself as someone consumed with the idea of ‘profit’, however her situation on Ord Canfre was vastly different from anything she’d experienced before. Every credit taken by someone selling knock-offs of her work was a credit less that she could save towards buying her ship.

“What do I do?” she asked, more than a little bewildered by the entire conversation.

He got up and looked down at her. “We don’t have very much information available to the public for security reasons, but that datapad will tell you all about our group. Keep it and take an evening to think about it. I am staying on planet for a few days. Let me know your decision either way. My contact information is also on the pad.” 

She looked at the pad for a second. She could leave the planet . . . But a thought occurred to her. “I—I don’t have imperial citizenship.”

Gilas shrugged. “I suppose that is to be expected seeing as you are from the uncharted zone. But you do have the translation nanites in your system at least. I assume you have the spectrum injection as well.”

“I do.”

He seemed satisfied and he nodded. “Good, well that is half the journey already. The empire likes to collect taxes so they will assuredly grant you at least a transient citizenship. We can apply for it through the commune, if you are amenable.”

Becoming a citizen was something Rey was still unsure about. However, it would make travel easier in the long run.

“Thank you. You’ve given me a lot to think about,” she said, clutching at the datapad like it was a life raft.

He clapped her on the shoulder. “Not at all. Please contact me when you have reached a decision.”

“I will.”

With that, Gilas had nodded to her and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty much the entirety of the last chapter along with most of this chapter is brand new content that I just added. What happened to Jerah was actually not supposed to be revealed until way later, but I figured revealing that little tidbit would be an excellent way to further discredit the Resistance. Still, later Kylo will have the opportunity to express his emotions and thoughts on what happened, so I figured it was a plot sacrifice that I could make.
> 
> Also, t0bemadeofglass did an ask on tumblr, requesting me to write a scene from another character's POV. I decided to write Kylo's POV during his first meeting with Rey in this fic. You can read it here: [LINK](http://sophiascribbling.tumblr.com/post/152181384279/next-and-pov-3)
> 
> Hope you guys are all still enjoying this! :)


	14. Chapter 14

“I don’t think you should go, Rey,” ‘87 said, his voice low as he leaned in towards her. “You don’t know this guy. He could be a serial killer or something.”

Her bags were already packed and her paintings and supplies stowed aboard the ship. Rey looked at the vessel before steadily meeting ‘87’s eyes and lying through her teeth. “I checked into his credentials through Waldreg. He’s the real deal,” she said—and she  _ had _ checked. What little information that could be verified did check out, but it would never be enough to assuage 2187’s protective streak, and if he thought for a second that she wouldn’t be safe, he would probably lock her in a cell at the remote office until Gilas left.

The ‘trooper shook his head in agitation. “He might be a real art dealer but that doesn’t make him  _ not _ a terrible person who snatches girls on the side,” 2187 said tightly.

It was something she’d thought about but Rey couldn’t let herself not take the chance. “If I don’t, I’ll be stuck here forever,” she said.

‘87 swallowed and she knew his feeling were hurt, but he plowed on anyway. “It won’t be forever. I’ll eventually be able to get you an ident chip and when I get discharged we can leave. I’ll be able to protect you. You made a decent life for yourself here. Just wait a little longer.”

Rey shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I promised myself I’d make it home. If I leave, I have a better chance of selling more art and making enough to buy a ship. I’ll learn to pilot it and then I’m going looking for Earth.”

2187 looked almost mutinous. “I told you before, you could look for years in the uncharted zone and not find your planet.”

_ “Then I’ll look for years,” _ she said heatedly but at his dejected look, she deflated. “I’m sorry, I can’t stay here. Every day I look at the sand and yellow sky, I’m reminded that I was left here like garbage. Just dumped out of a chute by a man who felt he had the right to snatch me up and then drop me when he was done.”

“He  _ does,” _ ‘87 said desperately, “He does have the right. He’s the  _ Supreme Ruler. _ He can do whatever he wants. That won’t change no matter where you go.”

She grimaced. “Yeah, but I’d rather not spend the rest of my days on this miserable planet.”

The stormtrooper sighed and  _ she _ could almost feel  _ his _ heart breaking. “I thought . . .” he began quietly, but she drew him into a hug before he could finish.

Rey kept her voice low and tried to keep her own emotions in check as she whispered. “I don’t mean you or anyone else here, ‘87, but I want to go home. This isn’t my home.” She continued to hug her friend tightly, endlessly grateful to him for his kindness while she’d been on Ord Canfre. “I’ll come back and visit if I can,” she whispered and he nodded as they pulled away.

“Comm me when you get there, Rey,” Breeka said and Rey nodded quickly

“Thank you for everything,” she said as she gave the rodian, Maelin and Caladon their own hugs—much to Maelin’s confusion at the gesture.

The twi’lek nodded anyway, though. “Good Luck, Rey. We’ll definitely miss having you around,” Maelin said sadly.

“This won’t be the last you see of me,” she said with a smile and hugged them all.

Caladon sniffled a bit but managed a watery farewell as she boarded the ship.

The journey was only a day or so through space and she spent it casting furtive glances at Gilas and eyeing the ever changing star map on the wall that showed their location. After they’d left, Gilas had told her their destination: Takodana. It was a jungle planet, according to her pad, with no native sentients. She’d made sure to keep an eye on their location as they moved through the mid rim and into the western reaches. 

The journey had been quiet, as Rey wasn’t entirely sure what to say, but about halfway through, she finally spoke up. “I tried to look you up. Your commune, I mean. But there’s no record of you in the imperial database.” She’d kept that from 2187, and even now she was not entirely sure what that meant. How did they pay taxes?

Gilas looked up from the pad he was reading but didn’t seem bothered by the statement. “There wouldn’t be,” he said, “We keep our commune well off the net.”

She’d figured that out. Security was obviously very important to Gilas and probably to the artists he represented as well, but what she didn’t know what why. “Why is it so secretive?” she asked. 

The chagrian looked away for a second, as though recalling a painful memory before he responded. “It wasn’t always like this. When the commune first began we were on a beautiful planet called Falleen. Our group was smaller with only fifteen artists doing various types of works.” He paused and Rey watched as the muscles in his jaw clenched a bit. “Around twenty years in, one of our artists, Valin Breme, a carver who created the most beautifully intricate figurines you’ve ever seen, began receiving threats. We weren’t so exclusive back then, you see, and anyone could come into our public establishment and see the artworks. Valin had a . . . fan.” 

Gilas trailed off again, and Rey could tell it was a difficult story to relive but the chagrian continued, “The man was obsessed with Valin’s work and bankrupted himself and his family buying as many of Valin’s pieces as he could. When he ran out of money and he couldn’t buy any more, he decided to track down the commune and go to Valin himself.” Gilas stopped once more to take a breath. “No one knows exactly what happened but Valin was killed and the man killed himself afterwards.”

“So you moved to another planet and disappeared,” she said with a nod of understanding.

The chagrian gave a small insincere smile. “Yes. Only very well vetted and selected clients even know the location of the gallery showroom on Coruscant. We’ve never had another incident with unwanted visitors again.”

It was obviously something that Gilas still felt deeply about, and Rey nodded as she sat back to think over what he’d said. It would be hard to keep such a secret from 2187 but the secrecy and security of the commune seemed to take precedence over most anything else—at least to Gilas—so she would adhere to their rules.

The journey was quiet once more and Rey slept for a good chunk of the remaining hours, too tired to stay awake the full day it would take to get there. The ship shook the slightest bit, waking her, as they came in for a landing. Rey jerked in her seat in abject fear, a low whimper escaping her as her nails bit into the seat. Gilas reached over and covered her hand.

“Are you alright, my dear?”

She swallowed as the ship continued to shake but nodded. “Just um . . . my last . . .  _ landing _ didn’t go so well,” she said finally.

Gilas didn’t seem to know what to do with that information or how to interpret her fear, so he just continued to hold her hand until the ship finally stopped moving, and then everything was still. Rey continued to take deep breaths as she struggled to get herself under control

_ This isn’t the same as what happened before, _ she told herself.  _ You’re safe, and now he’ll  _ never _ find you. _

Rey was not afraid to admit that she was terrified of the prospect of ever seeing Kylo Ren again. Those burning eyes  _ hating _ her, and wishing gleefully for her slow and painful death. The secrecy of the commune appealed to her on an almost cellular level. She knew that the likelihood of Kylo Ren ever returning to Ord Canfre had been next to nothing, but even so, she was glad to be even further off his radar. She could hide on Takodana and wait until she could afford her ship. Perhaps it was cowardly, but Rey was, before everything else, a survivor. 

Her eyes were still clenched when Gilas patted her fingers. “We’re here, Rey.”

She took a slow breath and cracked an eye open. The chagrian had already gotten up from his seat and he was pulling the viewport shielding aside so she could see that they had, in fact, landed. Gilas had described the planet to her and he’d said it was a lush planet but . . .

“It’s so green,” she said as she got up and all but plastered her face to the viewport. Perhaps it was only that she’d been on Ord Canfre with its eggshell and mustard color pallet for so long, that so much  _ color _ was nearly overwhelming her. 

Gilas chuckled behind her. “Yes, being so close to nature can be very inspiring so we settled here on Takodana about two hundred years ago.”

Rey heard the hiss of the hatch as it opened behind her and she sighed.  _ Here we go, _ she thought as she turned around and picked up her small bag of personal belongings. They walked out of the ship and into the sunlight. It was hot here, just like Ord Canfre, but rather than the dry arid heat of a desert, there was a dampness that clung to her skin. She looked around, but there wasn’t much to see on the landing pad besides other ships and a large ancient looking structure in the distance.

Gilas already seemed more comfortable in the humidity of the planet, and his step was a bit lighter than before. The rest of her things were already being loaded into a land speeder and Gilas was gesturing for her to come.

Rey pointed towards the building. “Is that where we’re headed?” she asked.

Gilas followed her line of sight before shaking his head. “Oh that? No. That’s Maz Kanata’s palace. She runs a bar out of it now, but she’s been around a long time. We just use her landing pad. I don’t like to disturb the artists with loud ships coming and going so we’re taking a speeder to the commune. It’s about thirty minutes away.”

She nodded and was about to say something else when Gilas abruptly turned from her. “Careful with that!” he said as a crewman began stacking her paintings in the back of the speeder. They were all wrapped for a bit of protection, but if one fell out of the moving vessel, that would be it.

The man was trying to be careful, she could tell, but the wind picked up suddenly and a blew one of the canvases off the pile before he could strap them down. Gilas looked like he was going to have a heart attack,  _ but really, _ Rey thought as she walked over and picked up the fallen image,  _ it was her least favorite. _

“Rey!” Gilas called as he came up behind her. She turned and watched as Gilas’ normally rather friendly expression melted into something . . . else. It was only for a second, and it passed so quickly that Rey was unsure if she’d even seen it. He didn’t say anything else as he walked with her and she re-wrapped the painting before handing it to the crewman who promptly secured it in place.

Gilas was quiet during the trek to the commune. Something about him was off, she could tell. He hadn’t liked her painting, which Rey could safely admit, she wasn’t so fond of it either. Still, though, even with the slightly tense atmosphere, the journey was beautiful with green for as far as she could see and clear blue waterways running through it like vines in a forest.

The trip seemed too short, and Rey would have loved to see more of the planet, but she was also still exhausted from the traveling. Gilas helped her down from the speeder and she could see a path leading from the tiny landing pad into the forest.

The chagrian seemed to have shaken off whatever had dampened his mood before because he smiled and held a hand out to her, “Come, my dear, I’ll introduce you to some of the other residents. Not all of them will be around now but the ones who live closer to you will no doubt be eager to make your acquaintance.”

‘Eager’ seemed a bit of a stretch, especially when she could see a few of the other residents watching from a distance but making no move to come and meet her. They seemed to be perfectly content to watch and some even simply turned away and went back to whatever they were doing.

“Yes, I can see that,” she said in answer.

Gilas snorted. “The commune voted on whether to pursue you for admission. It was an overwhelming majority. It’s only that . . .”

“What?”

“Well, we don’t get very many humans here,” he explained as they walked along the path.

Gilas had been surprised to see her, Rey remembered, surprised that she was human. “Really? Why?”

The chagrian looked slightly uncomfortable but he spoke anyway. “Humans are actually our biggest customers and they make up the vast majority of the empire, something like seventy percent of all sentients are human.”

Her eyes widened. Was humanity really that widespread? On Ord Canfre, it had been more fifty/fifty. How were there so many humans? Why was Earth so isolated from the rest?

Gilas continued speaking, taking her silence for acceptance. “It’s interesting but humans as a whole don’t usually buy human-made art. If they can afford to commission pieces and import their style and design, they prefer artisans and crafts from other races. It’s a symbol of wealth.”

Rey blinked. That didn’t sound good. “Oh. When it’s discovered that I’m human, will the value of my work drop?”

The chagrian pursed his lips. “Well, I intend to keep you quite mysterious for the time being,” Gilas said diplomatically, “We’re going to work on making sure you are fully established before you go public. As of now, you’re simply known as ‘The Artist’ because no one could identify your mark on the paintings.”

She’d just signed RG in a stylized way. Apparently it was a bit  _ too  _ stylized for the nanites to translate.

Still, Gilas tried to be supportive. “You are a unique person amongst the art community. No one will ever disparage you here but be cautious when you leave the commune. Sometimes people can be less than kind when they think there is competition for clients.”

She nodded and they eventually entered the main area of the commune. It was almost exactly as Rey had envisioned when Gilas had described it. Lush, and somewhat overgrown with studios and homes of varying styles dotted around the landscape.

“Artist!” a feminine voice called and Rey looked up to see a purple twi’lek girl hurrying down a path towards them. The building she was coming from was a massive white structure that sort of reminded Rey of a conch shell. 

The twi’lek wore a fluttery white dress that moved like water around her and as she neared, Rey suddenly felt more than a little bedraggled in her stained and faded work clothes from Ord Canfre.

The girl didn’t seem to notice as she sidled up beside Rey and she smiled, “You’re finally here!”

Rey blinked. “Uh, yes?”

Gilas sighed. “This is Kord Mondrachia, your possible neigh—”

Kord cut him off, her bright eyes meeting Rey’s. “Of course, I’ll be your neighbor. Where else is she doing to live? Out in the jungle by herself like the other shut-ins?”

Gilas looked less than impressed, “What each person chooses—”

“Yes, yes, I know. Still . . .” Kord trailed off and looked at Rey questioningly, and it took her a second to figure out that she was supposed to say something.

“My name is Rey—”

_ “Rey  _ here will be just fine in the center.”

Gilas finally looked at Rey and she could tell that she just needed to indicate that she was uncomfortable and he would put a stop to the whole thing, but really, she didn’t actually  _ want _ to be alone in the jungle anyway.

“I’d like to stay around here,” she said finally and Kord made a pleased noise while Gilas looked somewhat pained.

“Mog,” the twi’lek said before pulling Rey away from Gilas, ”You can live next door to me.” she paused before calling back towards the chagrian. “Bring her things to the blue house!”

Gilas made no response but Kord seemed happy enough dragging Rey towards the plot of land on the other side of her own massive home. The house was quite a bit smaller and completely different in design from Kord’s seashell house.

“I’m sorry if I startled you, Rey. In my line of work, big personalities are what sell,” Kord said as she looped her arm around Rey’s and the two walked up the path towards the house. It was blue, as was indicated by the moniker, ‘blue house’ and reminded Rey of a sort of overgrown beach cottage, though it was a round building rather than square. 

She pushed the door open and looked around the dim space. It was a bit musty inside so she left the door open to at least attempt to air the place out. The front half of the lower level opened up into what she thought would be a lovely studio space with fully duraplast doors.

Rey looked around for a light switch before remembering herself. “Lights on,” she said and the place instantly illuminated. It was an almost rough dwelling but had the type of character that humans on Earth spent a fortune recreating. 

Kord pointed off toward a set of narrow stairs. “The bedroom and second ‘fresher are up there and your kitchen and dining are in the back.” The main living area would be used as her studio and she thought that had been the intention of the original builder anyway. It was almost what she would consider a sunroom but rather than just windows, most of the outer wall was covered in duraplast doors instead, letting in a ton of natural light.

“It’s beautiful,” she said and Kord smiled.

The twi’lek looked around fondly. “I always thought so. This was my first house here, as well. A lot of great artists have come through this home. It was one of the first built when the commune moved here.”

For being two hundred years old, it seemed in pretty solid shape, at least to Rey, but then who knew what the home was actually built from.

“Gilas will have someone down here in a couple of days cutting back the brush,” Kord said, eyeing the vines that had begun to grow up one of the doors.

“I’ll take care of the gardening,” Rey said as she looked over the thicket of plants. There were a few flowers buried beneath the weeds, and she had enjoyed gardening back on Earth. 

But Kord shook her head seriously. “Let someone else take care of clearing out the plants, Rey. There are several species of poisonous flora on Takodana. You don’t want to get sick before you sell your first painting.”

Rey blinked. She hadn’t thought of that, but the twi’lek was right; best to let someone more knowledgeable have a go at the overgrown foliage. She could come back with flowers later. She was about to respond when she spotted a couple of men coming down the path towards the house carrying her things. Kord promptly began helping her unpack, more curious to see her things than to actually help Rey, she thought.

“Please tell me these aren’t the only clothes you brought, Rey,” Kord said after going through the one and only bag containing any kind of clothing.

“What else would I wear? I just paint,” she said in exasperation. “I don’t exactly need super nice things.”

Kord looked at her for a long moment before she began to laugh, “Just paint! That’s a good one! You know I have one of your pieces in my home. I simply had to have one after one of my clients was crowing about it at one of his soirees.”

Rey hadn’t let herself quite buy into the hype that Gilas was trying to sell her before—about her art being something special or even good enough to warrant a spot at this commune.

“You have one?” she asked hesitantly.

Kord nodded “Of course, I was the one who recommended you for the commune. I have one of your Lovers hanging in my sitting room.”

“Oh . . .” Rey said, a touch of wonderment in her voice.

“‘Oh’ is right. We need to get some nicer things for you to meet your clients in.”

_ Clients? _ That hadn’t been in her game plan. “But Gilas—”

Kord cut her off with a wave of her hand. “He’ll keep you under wraps for a little while but you can’t hide out here forever. You need facetime so your customers have a face to associate the talent with. Thankfully, this will also give us enough time to get a bit more meat on your bones.”

With the exception of crispics and twispas, the food on Ord Canfre had been quite bland and not terribly appetizing. And with the nanites, she’d found that she just wasn’t as hungry. Rey was aware that she’d lost weight, her cheeks not quite as full as they’d been on Earth, but she hoped she didn’t look too underweight.

The twi’lek sighed. “Don’t get that look on your face. You’re still beautiful. We just need to maybe take a trip to a few resort planets where you can meet clients and get some decent food.” She paused with a raised hairless brow. “Maybe a facial peel or two as well.”

Rey reached up and touched her face, but she wasn’t able to give Kord’s words much more thought as the last of her things was placed in the sunroom. Rey thanked the two men who had carried it all. Her paintings and supplies weren’t exactly light or easy to carry.

She crouched down and began to unwrap one of the paintings—one of 2187 with his fellow squad-mates. “I don’t know if I’m ready for all that,” she said finally.

Kord unwrapped a painting of her own. “Of course you are,” she said as she gave Rey a knowing look. “I know the eyes of someone who wants to be anywhere but where they are.”

Rey walked up and resisted the urge to rub her fingers over the painting that Kord was holding. Poe smiled bashfully in his flight suit while covered in grease. “I just want to get home.”

The indigo twi’lek seemed to sense the change in atmosphere, because she put her hand on Rey’s arm and met her eyes. “And you will. But you’re not from around here are you?”

She snorted. “Am I that obvious?”

“Not so much, but it’s my job to read body language. Outer Rim?”

Rey shook her head. “The uncharted zone. My planet is somewhere in the uncharted zone.”

Kord nodded thoughtfully. “You’ll need to know about the galaxy itself before venturing off into the unknown. It can be quite dangerous out there, even within imperial space. You aren’t a citizen?”

“No.”

The twi’lek didn’t seem surprised. “Gilas is probably already working on getting you a transient ident so you can pass through the empire unaccosted.”

The idea of being able to go wherever she wanted . . . she’d never let herself even really contemplate it, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. The Supreme Ruler and his fleet were sort of hard to miss and it was a big galaxy, after all. “I could actually go to other planets?”

Getting on a ship had never been the issue, getting off and arriving at what passed for ‘customs’ was the problem. She would be arrested and held without some kind of ID.

Kord unwrapped another painting. “After we get your ident squared away, you’ll be able to come and go freely. We just need to show residency within the empire and that you are generating some kind of income. Eventually, you’ll be able to apply for permanent citizenship.”

Rey hoped she wasn’t around there long enough to do that but she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. The continued to unwrap her paintings and put away her supplies, but after a few minutes, Kord stopped, her eyes glued to a piece that she held almost delicately before her.

Rey could see the edges—could see the color bleeding off and knew which one it was. She really needed to get rid of that thing—especially now that he’d unmasked himself.

Her nightmare man, as Caladon had called him.

The twi’lek was silent for a beat. “You must not like him very much,” she said finally before setting the painting down on the floor against the wall.

“What?” Rey asked, her voice slightly strangled.

Kord continued looking it over. “The Supreme Ruler. He’s a handsome man and he almost is but the way you’ve painted him . . . He’s . . . painful to look at.”

“I—I wouldn’t know," she said turning back to her pigments.

Kord apparently decided it was better to drop it because her tone lightened and she changed the subject. “I’m going off-planet next week to choose fabrics for my next collection. Would you like to join me?”

Rey blinked. “I can’t go anywhere.”

The twi’lek wasn’t to be deterred. “Oh, We’re just rendezvousing with a merchant ship that’s passing through a few systems from here. No imperial dock checks to worry about because they’re only open to professionals like you and me. Until you get your ident, I’ll vouch for you. ”

She also needed fabric, but not for clothes. “Would the place you’re going to have canvas materials?”

Kord nodded. “Oh they have every kind of fabric.”

Rey finally looked at Kord—really looked at her. She was incredibly beautiful with bright indigo skin that was set off perfectly by the white dress she wore. It fit her perfectly, clinging to every curve of her body and it fluttered as she moved, giving her an ethereal quality.

“What is it that you do, Kord?”

The twi’lek tilted her head and smiled. “I make clothes.”

So Kord was the fashion designer that Gilas had mentioned before. “I guess you’re pretty good at that,” she said finally.

Kord paused and her eyes moved over Rey in what might have been an almost clinical way, except for the way she lingered on certain parts of Rey’s body. “I think so. You’ll have to let me . . . fit you later.”

Rey swallowed and nodded. “That would be great, thank you.”

Kord raised a brow. “Think nothing of it. This place is full of old fuddy duddy artisans. You and me gotta stick together or we’ll fossilize like they have.”

Rey snorted and laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost 50K words later and she's finally off Ord Canfre . . . And won't _someone_ be surprised to find her NOT where he left her. ~_~
> 
> Anyway, just as an fyi, I may be a bit late with my update next week. I have a major exam in Calc and so I'll be studying like mad. There will only be six problem on the test so there is zero room for error. I'll do my best to have the next chapter up on Friday, but I may be running a bit behind.


	15. Chapter 15

Rey inspected the new shipment of pigments and mediums with a smile. They were even better in quality than the stuff she’d gotten from Waldreg, and after speaking to one of the other artisans in the commune, she now even had a few actual paint brushes.

“Does everything look alright?” Gilas asked as he sat with Kord off to the side.

The twi’lek was around quite a bit and seemed to take a quiet pleasure from watching Rey paint. She didn’t speak much while Rey worked, more that content to work on her own designs in silence or perhaps pose for some of Rey’s other works. It had been over a month since Rey had arrived on Takodana and so far things were going well for her. She’d completed six paintings since arriving and Gilas would be taking them to his gallery today. They were wrapped and packed onto a hovercart.

Her visions, however . . . they’d gotten worse. 

When she’d been on Ord Canfre, they typically only happened once or twice a month and only when she was deeply relaxed. Working on Takodana—focusing on her art and spending time with someone as laid-back as Kord—well she was fairly relaxed most of the time and it seemed like the visions were trying to make up for lost time.

The last one . . . she’d been in the middle of showing Kord how to sketch her fashion designs on paper using charcoal and watered down pigments when it had hit her like a bus. She’d frozen as memories washed over her of a man being stabbed to death by a masked fighter with a red blade. Kord had been frantic by the time Rey came out of the vision and she’d all but collapsed against her friend.

“Rey, are you alright?” the twi’lek had asked, her hands cupping either side of Rey’s face as the human blinked back into reality.

Her hand had come up to clutch at Kord’s arm, anchoring her.  “I’m . . . I’m sorry,” she’d said. “I’m fine. It’s—It’s nothing.”

Kord slowly released her, but her gaze was searching. “This—this has happened to you before, hasn’t it?” 

Rey seated herself on the sofa as the other woman poured her a cup of caf. She looked at the twi’lek before sighing. “Yes. It’s—It happens a lot.”

Kord handed her the cup. “You’re Force-sensitive,” she said with a tilt of her head.

Rey nodded. “I get visions every once in awhile. They’re what I paint.”

The twi’lek’s brows came up and she pursed her lips in thought. “That explains the lightsabers.”

Rey blinked and looked at the painting she’d been working on. Two women, one lower to the ground wielding a staff with red ends while the other carried twin blade of pale purple.

“ . . . Lightsabers?” she asked hesitantly. 

Kord looked at her sadly and Rey knew the other woman pitied her—not in critical way, but that Rey had been placed into a situation that she was woefully unprepared to deal with. “You didn’t know what they were called?” Kord finally asked.

“No—I . . . I never knew their name,” she said as her gazed traced the lines of the  _ lightsabers _ in the painting—their glow the only illumination in the darkness surrounding the two women. “Lightsaber,” she said, feeling the word roll around in her mind. They were important to the people whom she painted—to Kylo Ren . . . and perhaps even herself on day.

_ No! _ She quickly shook that thought off. She had no interest in acquiring something like that. What would she do with a laser sword, anyway?

“I just wish they’d stop,” she had said tiredly.

Kord had looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. “Maybe you need to go talk to Maz Kanata.”

The name was familiar. “The bar owner?”

The twi’lek nodded. “Yes, she’s um . . . special like you are. Maybe she can help you.”

Rey hadn’t acted on the information then or even in the week that followed, but she was getting sick and tired of whatever it was that was happening to her.

“They’re perfect,” she said to Gilas as her thoughts and attention turned back to the present. The chagrian looked suitably pleased and Kord watched her thoughtfully.

Gilas nodded. “I’m glad that they’re up to your standards. They were hard to locate, but now that we have a supplier the cost will be less the next time we make an order.”

She smiled and thanked him with a small bow as was usual for his species. Gilas returned it with a bow of his own and turned to leave with the hovercart.

Rey spoke up before he made it to the door, “Do you mind if I borrow one of the speeders?”

Gilas looked somewhat taken aback and his head tilted in confusion. “Do you need to go somewhere?”

“I wanted to visit Maz Kanata’s bar. Inspiration and all that,” she said casually. Kord eyed her critically from over the rim of her teacup but said nothing.

Gilas pursed his lips. “Do you know how to drive one?”

Kord had been nice enough to show her how to drive the last time they’d gone to the merchant ship to look at fabric. “Yes, it’s not a problem.”

The chagrian nodded. “Feel free then, you don’t need to ask,” he said with a smile.

“Thanks,” she said and waved as he left the house.

“Finally worked up the nerve, have we?” Kord said, getting up.

Rey shrugged. “I’m just going to talk. I’m not expecting much.”

The twi’lek looked thoughtful but smiled. “I’ll see you when you get back,” she said as she touched Rey’s arm and then walked out.

Rey watched her go, envious of the way the indigo sentient almost glided as she moved.  _ Hashtag life goals, _ she thought wryly before turning away to take stock of her new supplies. Gilas had sold a few of her paintings when she’d first moved in and then had procured her nearly everything she needed to paint as she had on Earth.

She was broke again, but both Gilas and Kord had been quite sure that it was a good investment in her talent. It was a risk, but the chagrian seemed to think that her works could command a higher price point if they were made using better tools and colors. Hopefully he’d sell a few more of her pieces soon, though.

Rey stalled as she struggled to  _ not _ talk herself out of going, and even after she left, she may have taken the long way. The closer she got, the more it felt as though someone was waiting for her there. She grimaced and turned the speed down another notch. She didn’t like the feeling, but she needed the visions to stop or at least slow down. So far this Maz Kanata was the only person she’d ever heard of who might know something about what was going on.

She could only put it off for so long and two hours after her thirty minute journey began, she arrived. Rey parked the speeder and looked at the  _ palace _ —because that’s what it was. Rey had worked at bars—even galactic ones, but this place was on a whole other level with statues, fountains, and  _ towers. _

The Earth girl did her best not to stick out but she also couldn’t help marvelling at the beauty of the place. She had her phone out and she was snapping pictures like a goddamn tourist before she could stop herself.  _ You can take the girl off of Earth but you can’t take the Earth out of the girl, _ she thought with some amusement.

The front entrance with its multitude of flags surrounding the statue of a sentient really was a sight to behold. Rey spent some time taking in the chaotic beauty of the style and architecture, but eventually she made it to the double doors and opened them. She smiled as music filled the air and sentients and humans of all shapes and sizes clustered about speaking to one another. It wasn’t like Maelin’s bar which was a low key place with a quiet atmosphere. Noise and movements suffused the entire space of Maz’s bar.

Rey stepped around a few crowded tables and moved through the area, looking around until she finally spotted a small empty table. The chair was comfortable when she sat down, and she pulled the order pad over. Only the fanciest places in De’Prurin had these but she was at least familiar with them.

The Earth girl ordered a drink as she continued looking around, taking in the variety of species. Rey’s fingers twitched and she couldn’t help pulling out her small sketch pad and pen. She allowed the pen to glide over the paper as she watched a particularly interesting sentient that she thought might be called a kalleran. 

Her drink eventually arrived and she closed the sketch pad. Rey was about to ask the waitress about Maz when the words died in her throat. Her waitress was a tiny orange sentient who would be lucky to clear Rey’s waist on a good day. She wore a set of goggles that magnified her tiny eyes. Most importantly, however, was the fact that this was the same sentient as what was depicted outside.

“Maz . . . Kanata?” she asked hesitantly.

The sentient smiled. “I was wondering when you would show up, child," she said as she lifted herself up and into the other chair across from Rey.

“My friend uh . . . Kord Mondrachia told me that maybe you could help me,” Rey said softly even as she decided to actively ignore the fact that the little orange sentient had somehow been expecting her.

“What exactly is the problem?” Maz asked gently.

Rey bit her lip. “I—I think I . . . I see things—sometimes. Things I shouldn’t see.”

Maz nodded in understanding. “You have the gift.”

Rey felt her expression fade. “Considering that it was probably that gift that got me kidnapped, I’m not sure you and I share the same view of it. How do I get rid of it?”

The sentient was quiet for a moment as she mulled over Rey’s words before meeting her eyes. “Are you really sure you want to be rid of it? It was that gift that put you on this path, yes, but it is also your gift that will get you  _ home.” _

Her eyes widened. “Home? I can get back to Earth?”

Maz shrugged. “How do you think Kylo Ren found your planet?”

Rey’s thoughts came to a screeching halt. She hadn’t told anyone on Takodana about what had happened. “How do you know about that?” she asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

The sentient did not seem offended or intimidated by Rey’s sharp words. “I am no Jedi, nor Sith, but I know the Force and your past . . . it does not have to control you.”

_ Control . . . What a riot, _ Rey thought. She hadn’t had an ounce of control since this shitstorm had happened. “I’ll be able to put the past behind me when I’m home. How do I find Earth?”

Maz looked as though she wanted to say more on the subject but she eventually just shrugged her shoulders. “I assume there is someone back on your planet for whom you care deeply,” she said. 

Poe’s face flashed through her mind. “Yes,” Rey said without hesitation.

Maz nodded. “It is a delicate thing—untangling one thread from a knot of trillions.”

_ Trillions, _ she thought in dejection, but Rey steeled herself. “Kylo Ren was able to do it,” she said.

The sentient smiled and inclined her head slowly. “Kylo Ren and the light exemplar are a special case. They share a thread—as all those bound by the Force, do.”

Rey slumped in dejection but Maz continued. “But you still have a chance. Your planet, an isolated system amongst the vast emptiness of the uncharted zone is far easier to differentiate than it would be if it was within the empire.”

On a certain level, Rey understood the idea. Like finding a needle in an empty jar rather than a hay bale.

Still it couldn’t be that easy. “How do I do it?” she asked.

“You must focus on the person who means the most to you. It will take time and energy but give yourself fully to the Force and commune with it, and it might show you the way.”

The person who meant the most to her was her brother, Poe. Kylo Ren, though . . . “That’s what he did? He focused on the . . . on the exemplar and that’s how he found Earth?”

Maz inclined her head. “Yes, he had a connection with the light exemplar already and that made it possible for him to follow the thread back to your planet, despite never having met or even seen her. He would find it difficult to do the same thing if the exemplar was . . . for example, living within the empire.”

Rey nodded thoughtfully. “How do I . . . commune?”

Maz blinked at her before she pulled her goggles up. Her eyes were even smaller than Rey had thought they’d be. She took Rey’s hand within her own. “Close your eyes and just  _ feel. _ Remember how you felt during your visions and find that feeling. Allow your mind to drift within the sea of your connection.”

She swallowed as she thought back to the last vision—remembered the sense of detachment to reality as though she were within a dream. Her fingers tightened on Maz’s as the noise of the bar fell away and Maz helped her to bridge the connection to the Force. “I—I feel it.”

She could hear the soft whispering of a thousand voices calling to her to join with them—to free herself of her pain and fear. She could feel Maz’s hands both in the physical plane, and her very essence surrounding Rey and protecting her.

Maz’a voice was an ethereal whisper that moved about, leading her towards the light. “The Force flows through everything and if you have a connection, you can use it to find the one you seek. To find your brother and planet.”

It was . . . it was the most beautiful feeling. The light was warm and as she drew nearer to it she could see that it was not a solid shape but a knot of golden threads tangled together. Most were the color of the sun, but a few were dark while others shown brightly even in comparison to the knot. Rey looked down at the thread that wrapped around her wrist. It was a shining silver but . . . She looked back.

Far behind her, the thread dimmed and darkened to a line of obsidian. Rey’s brows furrowed as she felt the darkness tug at the thread, calling her back towards it and away from the warmth. The air chilled, the longer she looked into the abyss and she could feel it calling to her, coaxing her towards it—asking her to show it the way.

_ Come . . . _

_ No! _ She thought desperately as it spread down the thread—or perhaps as she was drawn closer to it. The darkness filled her with a cold fear even as it gently brushed her fingers. It . . . it was  _ searching. _

Rey yanked herself away and in doing so, broke her connection with Maz. She gasped as the noise and people of the bar came back and her eyes snapped open. She panted for a few seconds as she realized how exhausted she suddenly was. How long had she been sitting there?

Maz sat back and watched her. “You’re afraid of it,” she said, her tone understanding but sad.

Rey didn’t want the other woman’s pity. “Wouldn’t you be?” she asked. “It . . . It feels like  _ him.” _

“The darkness is exemplified by Kylo Ren,” Maz said gently. “It will always be with you because it is  _ part  _ of you. You can’t be whole and in balance until you accept all aspects of your power.”

The Earth girl shook her head. “I  _ don’t want _ to accept it. I can barely accept the idea that I’m having these . . . these visions because of some crazy mystical Force.” 

Maz didn’t push her anymore on the subject. “I can only advise you to meditate and strengthen your connection with the Force. Do not lose control and expand your reach too quickly or others may be drawn to you. Hone in your search until your brother’s thread reveals itself and you find your planet.” She paused. “It may take a while—Years perhaps.”

Rey shrugged. “Well, I have nothing but time at this point.”

The orange sentient nodded. “It will also help you to be in better control of the visions if you meditate regularly and allow them to come freely to you when your connection is strongest.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

Maz patted her hand one more time before hopping down from the chair and disappearing into the crowd. Rey sat there for a while, mulling over her own thoughts and doubts. Was the darkness really part of her? It didn’t feel like her—it felt like a cancerous lesion. It felt like _ him _ . The answers didn’t come so she settled her bill and made her way back out to her speeder. It was dark out so she’d obviously been gone from the commune for quite some time. The trip back seemed to go by far too quickly. 

Kord was sitting out on her patio when she returned. There was a twisted plastaglass wine bottle and a glass sitting on the small table beside her. The indigo twi’lek was sipping her own wine and reading a datapad, but she smiled as Rey approached and poured a second glass. She held it out with a smile and Rey took it gratefully before she sat down in the other chair. It was nice out, after all.

“How was you your little side trip?” Kord asked, the datapad laid upon her lap.

Rey shrugged and took a generous swallow of the alcohol. “Educational.”

Kord quirked a hairless brow. “You were gone for quite some time—most of the day, in fact.”

“How long were you waiting?”

“Not long. I saw the light of the speeder from my home as you returned and I thought you could use a drink.”

_ She’d thought right, _ Rey thought as she took a drink of the wine. It was strong and just what she needed. The Earth girl sighed as she sat back and looked up at the sky. The two moons of Takodana were bright against the dark night sky and the stars shined like she’d never seen on Earth. The line of lights that twinkled along the milky path of the galaxy was something she hadn’t tired of seeing since moving to the commune.

She’d sat in these chairs nearly every night with Kord and there was a comfortable silence between them for a while until Kord finally spoke.”I was thinking you need a break.”

“A break? I’ve hardly done anything.” Rey said with a snort over the rim of her glass.

Kord rolled her eyes. “You gave Gilas six paintings today. Time to take a sabbatical.”

Rey’s plans included making as much money as possible so she could get a ship and get back to Earth. They didn’t include a sabbatical where she sat on her ass. “I don’t know,” she said doubtfully.

Kord sighed as though she were much put upon. “Rey, Gilas is too polite to say anything but you need to slow down.”

“What? Why?” she asked incredulously.

Kord raised her chin and looked towards the sky. “Because if you flood the market with pieces, the value will drop. Your customers won’t like that and neither will you. As it is, Gilas will only put them out a few at a time anyway in order to maximize profit.”

Rey sat back. As much as it pained her, it made sense. “Fine. I guess I can take a few weeks off.”

Kord’s expression instantly morphed into a mischievous smile. “Perfect. It just so happens that I’m going to be doing one of my month-long mini-tours where I visit all my best clients. Face-time is important in maintaining these kinds of relationships. Never know when some upstart will show up and attempt to steal a client.”

After knowing Kord for a few weeks, the Earth girl was fairly sure that  _ Kord _ had been that upstart at one time and she wasn’t about to let the same thing happen to herself.

“You’re leaving for a month?” she asked. Kord hadn’t mentioned any trip to her, least of all, one that would take her off-planet for a month.

“Yes, and you’re coming with me,” the twi’lek said with a smile.

Rey shook her head. “You know I can’t. No ID, remember?”

“You mean one of these?” Kord dropped a small datapad about the size of a postcard onto the table between them. Rey’s eyes narrowed as she picked it up. It was an imperial identification pad and her picture was displayed there along with her name, though it was spelled oddly.

_ Raehna Kilesvy.  _ It had probably been Gilas’s best attempt at writing her name based on phonetics alone, but at least he’d gotten close with the first name.

“Where did this come from?” she asked, ever as her eyes moved over the text.

“One of Gilas’s messengers dropped it off earlier, and I told him I would make sure you got it. It’s transient status but legal,” Kord said with a smile. “Now you can go anywhere within the empire. We just need to stop by a trade world and get you a subcutaneous chip.”

A chip . . . She’d seen them before—seen people use them, but they’d always seemed to far beyond what she’d be able to attain. FN-2187 had just needed to wave his hand over a pad to purchase things back on Ord Canfre, while she’d used physical credits for everything. She’d finally broken down one day and asked about the tiny specialized nanite that was placed below the skin just above the thumb. It was what most people had instead of carrying an ident pad. Rey’s jaw tightened as she thought over what this meant. She could go to any planet and buy a ship and not have to worry about imperial scrutiny. She was just one of trillions of citizens and transients within  _ his _ empire.

The twi’lek handed over another larger pad. “Gilas came up with a cover story for you when he filed your paperwork. His contacts have provided the necessary record so that it’s all true.”

Rey took the pad and looked it over. “I’m a refugee now?”

Kord shrugged. “Registering you as someone from the uncharted zone would have drawn attention to you—and the commune. The attack on Kalee was biological so the empire was giving out spectrum injections left and right to help those who were sick and dying. There wasn’t a lot of oversight and as a result, a lot of people got the nanites but they weren’t citizens. Most still aren’t.” Kord paused and switched gears. “We’ll stop by the imperial bank and get you set up so that Gilas can just deposit your earnings that way.”

She felt as though she were in some other reality. _ A space bank account . . . why not? _ Rey nodded. “I have some physical credits to deposit as well,” she said as held the ident pad as though her life depended on it.

Kord inclined her head. “Great. Pack your stuff tonight. We leave in the morning,” she said with a smile and sat back. Rey laughed and sipped her wine. 

They were up chatting late into the evening, and bright and early the next morning, Rey watched as a few droids loaded up her things. More than half were her painting supplies as she still didn’t really have much else. Kord had begrudgingly said she could do her painting aboard as well, just in case she was taken with a bit of inspiration.

Kord’s ship was . . . not what Rey was expecting. They’d always taken fairly small and innocuous transports from Maz’s bar to the merchant ships that came through the sector.

The twi’lek laughed at her awed expression. “You didn’t  _ really _ think we were going to go on a galactic tour in a  _ cargo ship, _ did you?”

Rey wasn’t quite sure what she’d been expecting, but Kord’s touring vessel was a luxury  _ yacht _ of ship. Her eyes were wide as she looked around the beautifully appointed interior of the baudo-class ship. The main color was white, of course, with accents of wood and large duraplast viewports. 

Kord seemed to be basking Rey’s awe and she smiled. “This ship nearly broke me financially for a couple of months, but the type of clientele that I see now expect to be kept in utmost luxury, even just to talk clothing,” the twi’lek confided honestly.

She showed Rey to her room which was tastefully appointed and left her to unpack her things. “I’m going to get us into hyperspace. It’s been awhile since you talked to your man. You can use the comms on the ship once we jump, if you’d like,” she said hesitantly.

Rey looked away from her friend. It’s not that she didn’t like talking to 2187, it’s just that their last conversation had been . . . strained.

“When do you think you’ll be able to visit again?” he’d asked, a note of sadness in his voice.

Rey shrugged, “I’m not sure. I still don’t have an ID chip so I can’t go back there officially. My paintings have been selling really well so hopefully, I’ll be able to get my ship sooner rather than later. I’ll be able to stop by Ord Canfre to see you before I go to find Earth.”

The stormtrooper had looked away from her then. “If you just wait a few more years, I’ll go with you.”

“We’ll see,” she said.

He met her eyes at that. “I just don’t like the idea of you going out there by yourself into the uncharted zone,” he said.

If Rey was being honest with herself, she wasn’t terribly fond of the idea, either, so she’d nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

‘87 had sighed and smiled. “Just—Just let me know if you leave.”

The conversation had petered out from there and Rey hoped they’d eventually get back to their easy banter. She could tell that it bothered him that he didn’t know which planet she was on or where the commune was, but the rules of the commune did not even allow her to comm off-planet. 

As it was, Rey was still unsure about contacting him quite yet so she nodded at Kord. “I’ll think about it.”

“Uh huh,” Kord hummed with a smile before leaving, the door sliding shut behind her.

Rey sighed and began putting everything where she wanted it, securing her art supplies and moving her clothing to the closet. A few minutes later the ship trembled slightly and the view of space changed to the swirling blues and whites of hyperspace.

* * *

Kylo’s eyes slid open slowly—lazily as he smiled. He’d been close to her. He’d felt her, felt the glow of her warmth drawing him closer to her. She’d been afraid of him—of the darkness, but he would help her accept it . . . an him once he found her. He and Hux were coordinating a raid on the Resistance soon, but after that, Johanem would be moving his main fleet into position to assist in pushing the Resistance back into the crags of the uncharted zone.

And then Kylo would be free to finally return to Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being late about this update! I had a major exam in my calc class so that had most of my attention, but this chapter needed some help to further flesh out that encounter with Maz. I hope this helped to answer some of the questions that I've gotten about how Kylo found Earth. :)


	16. Chapter 16

The first planet on the itinerary was Yavin IV. It was a pretty planet but not exactly what Rey had been expecting from Kord when she was talking about resort and pleasure planets.

“Oh, we’re not here to work . . . or party,” Kord explained as they disembarked. “This planet is a giant buzzkill, if you ask me.”

“So . . . ?” Rey began but Kord had already taken her hand and the pair were strolling through the space port arm in arm. Rey had only ever seen the landing port on Ord Canfre and Maz’s bar on Takodana. The port on Yavin IV made those look like school bus stops. There must have been at least ten thousand sentients and humans milling around just in that hangar alone, and she’d seen six of the city-sized blue marbles as they’d come in to land.

Ships of differing sizes and shapes lined the landing pads, each cordoned off with beams of light that kept those without the correct chip permissions out. There was no ceiling—not in the traditional sense, but rather a glowing blue force field that opened and closed in certain places allowing ships in and out. Small, one person air speeders zipped about directing the vessels to their landing sites. There were humans of every ethnicity and sentients of all kinds going about their business and the place was loud and slightly obnoxious—just like back on Earth.

It brought a bit of a smile to her face and Kord pointed to a familiar building in the distance. The imperial emblem glowed like a beacon and she was reminded of 2187. She needed to comm him soon.

“We’ll stop by the imperial station and get your chip and then head to the bank,” Kord said and Rey nodded.

“Are we doing anything else here?” she asked as her eyes passed over the crowd lazily before catching the gaze of a man. She could not see him well under his dark hood but he was definitely looking at her. Rey swallowed and looked away for a second. When her eyes drifted back, he was gone. Her heart beat began to pick up subtly as she looked frantically around for the man.

“No,” Kord answered and Rey’s attention snapped back to her.

“You didn’t have to make a special trip for me,” she said, pushing the disappearing creepy guy from her mind.

Kord shrugged and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. The resort planets have remote offices and banks, but they always take longer. Yavin IV might be very busy but their imperial station is one of the most efficient offices in the galaxy, so we’ll be out of here in an hour.”

“That fast?” Rey asked skeptically. The last time she’d been to the DMV to simply change her address, it had taken half the day.

“That fast,” Kord replied with a smile.

The station was quite a bit larger than 2187’s remote office had been and the emblem of the Corellian Empire spun around within the rings going in the opposite direction. Stormtroopers and officers walked in and out and Rey took a deep breath before walking inside.

An officer sat behind a desk doing paperwork and Rey had a sudden sense of deja vu from her last day in New York when the lady cop had had a similarly bored expression on her face. Rey swallowed and nearly turned to leave, but just as James had held onto her then, Kord held her arm now. Her expression was one of concern.

“Rey . . . Are you alright?”

A few of the officers looked up at the question and Rey nodded quickly, her face ashen as she struggled to work up the nerve to do something as simple as get her ID chip.

“Ma’am is there something I can help you with?” the officer behind the desk asked, looking at her curiously.

Rey nodded again and walked towards the desk. She set her ident pad down. “I—I need to get a subcutaneous ID chip,” she said.

The officer took the pad and inserted it into his computer while tapping a few times on his own data pad and transferring the information to his systems.

“Raehna Kilesvy. Planet of Origin: Dantooine,” he said looking over his holoprojector. “Approved for transient work status.”

She nodded and smiled a bit as he looked over her credentials. “Everything seems to be in order.” He pulled her ident pad out and handed it back along with another card. He pointed down the hall beside the counter. “Go down there and it’s the fifth door on the right. Someone will be in to see you with your ID chip.”

“Thank you,” she said with a nod before she and Kord walked down the hall and waved the card in front of the panel. The door opened and they went inside. The room was plain with white walls and it reminded her of a doctor’s office but instead of posters of anatomy, there was popaganda vids playing on various holoprojectors mounted in each corner of the room. There was a table in the middle of the space with two chairs on the side facing towards the door. She and Kord sat down and it was only a few minutes before a droid rolled in holding a datapad and scanner along with a metal cylinder. The top half of the droid was human in shape, while the bottom had a ball component that allowed it complete freedom of movement.

“Miss Kilesvy, I am MJ-45 and I’ll be helping you today.”

Rey nodded. “Thank you,” she said as the droid moved forward while lowering its upper half become more level with the seated sentients. It set down the items and pulled her records up onto a small holoprojector.

MJ-45 gestured to the information. “Your records indicate that you received your spectrum and translation nanites on Dantooine as a child refugee of the human settlement that was attacked on Kalee.”

Rey nodded. “I just received transient citizenship for work and this is my first time off planet.”

The droid nodded and picked up the cylinder. “Please give me which ever hand you will be using.”

She held out her left and MJ-45 placed it flat on the table before resting the end of the cylinder against her skin.

“This will sting slightly,” it said and she nodded. MJ pushed the button on the end, and it was like being pinched but it wasn’t very painful. The cylinder was removed and the area was red but she didn’t see any discernable injection site.

“Your nanites will have that healed up in a few minutes,” the droid said as it picked up the scanner and waved it over her hand. The little machine beeped and MJ turned it to show her name and picture popping up.

“Please check that this information is correct.”

Rey looked it over. It all lined up with what was in her records so she nodded.

The droid rolled back and regained its height. “We’re all done. If you notice any pain, swelling, or redness beyond the next two hours, please report back to an imperial station for examination.”

She nodded “Thank you.”

The droid left the room and Kord turned to her. “Why don’t we go get your accounts set up and get some lunch, then we’ll get out of here,” she said.

Rey got up and she smiled. “Yeah, that sounds great,” she agreed before she looked down at her hand. She’d be able to go anywhere in the empire now and not have to worry about being arrested. Rey continued looking at her hand even as they walked out and Kord chatted about the next planet they would be going to when suddenly she lost the ability to move. Her body froze and Kord nearly toppled over beside her.

“Rey! Rey, what’s wrong?” Kord asked coming around to face her.

A masculine voice spoke from behind her. “Begone, twi’lek.”

Rey watched as Kord’s eyes went wide before she let go of Rey and simply walked off. The Earth girl watched Kord’s retreating figure with a sense of dread and it was then that she noticed that no one was looking her way despite the fact that she stood in the middle of a crowded walkway. Humans and sentients alike walked around her and just passed by.

She knew who it was—the man from before. Her stomach dropped as she recognized the same feeling of paralysis as . . . _What the hell was going on?_   Rey tried to move but she felt utterly frozen as the man came around and faced her, his hood was down now so she could get a look at him. He was tall, at least a head taller than she, and his skin was pale, like it had never seen the sun. His pale brown eyes wandered over her face and body and she shivered as though she could feel him physically. His brown hair was long but pulled away from his face in a high bun, and she wondered absently if he would sparkle in sunlight too.

His head cocked to the side as he examined her. “What a rare creature, you are,” he said finally. His voice was low and had an almost lazy quality to it as though even speaking was an annoyance.

She took in a shuddering breath. “Not that rare, promise.”

His lips spread into a toothy grin and his brows went up. “On the contrary . . . How have you made it so long without being found?”

 _What the fuck was he talking about?_   “F—Found?” she asked in confusion. Of course she’d been found. She was standing in the middle of Yavin IV Grand Central Station because she’d been _found_.

He continued looking her over. “I could sense your power the second you entered the system. I expected a child, but look at you—A woman full grown. What a treat to not have to deal with a squalling babe.”

He was a kidnapper of _children_? Oh, this just got better and better. “I don’t have any power,” she said.

The man snorted. “You do. You’ve not been formally trained but you are not oblivious either.”

Christ, this guy probably kidnapped and killed kids and now he was gonna do the same to her. She mentally cursed the shit-lord again. This was all _his_ fault. “Who are you?” she asked. If he was going to chop her up or wear her skin like a suit, she at least wanted a name to curse into perdition.

His head tilted and his expression turned slightly indulgent. “I am Caserian Ren.”

The name ripped through her like a bullet and she would have stepped back if she could have. Oh, this was much worse than a child-snatching murderer. _Fuck . . ._

He watched her carefully and his eyes became hooded with satisfaction. “So you are not so unaware. You know what I am.”

“A Knight,” she breathed out. Rey didn’t know a lot about the Knights of Ren, only that Kylo Ren was their leader. That was enough for her to know to stay off their radar.

“Yes,” he answered. “But that still doesn’t explain your existence. We have thousands of Knights that blanket the empire and search for Force-users. How have you escaped detection?”

“I—I’m not from the empire,” she said quickly.

He moved closer and she flinched as he took her hand, the one that had just received the chip and brought it up to his face. She expected his skin to be ice cold as he looked to have been chiseled from marble, but he was warm. The Knight’s thumb moved over the palm of her hand and she could _feel_ him trying to push his way _inside._

“Your thoughts are hidden,” he said almost cautiously. “Only Kylo Ren, himself, has ever been able to shield his mind from me.” His eyes snapped up from her hand to her eyes and she gasped as she felt him forcefully pushing at her.

“No . . .” she gritted out, shoving him back and his once lazy expression transformed into pure interest and want.

He licked his lips and smiled at her. “If you come with me, you will be trained as a Knight. I may not be able to read your thoughts but I can feel your _fear._ I’ll train you myself and then you’ll never be afraid again.”

Red angry eyes slashed through Rey’s mind and she shook her head. “No. I—I can’t.”

He dropped her hand and his fingers caged her face on either side. “Why not? _I have to know.”_

All at once, it was as if the oxygen in her lungs escaped and she couldn’t _breathe._ Flashes of Kylo Ren and his ship—the scent of the dead bodies putrefying only feet from where she herself was slowly wasting away—the gut wrenching shrieking when her pod was jettisoned and she’d been left behind.

He yanked his hands from her face, but he didn’t step back as he looked her over. “So you’re the one—the one who had Lord Ren in such a state. His anger could be felt from a hundred systems away,” the Knight said, his tone curious and surprised.

“I just want to be left alone,” she whispered.

Caserian tilted his head, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I’ve never felt anything like you before. Your very being is _entrenched_ within the light. I can see why Lord Ren would have mistaken you for the exemplar . . .” He trailed off, his eyes sweeping over her again. “If not for what had happened with the Supreme Ruler, I would think . . .”

The Knight shook his head as he backed away, his expression pensive. “I will not force you to leave with me—not with what has happened. Your fear, however, is on the verge of consuming you.”

“Well, this particular situation isn’t exactly helping my nerves,” she said quietly.

Caserian snorted. “I suppose not, but are you sure you would not like a teacher? You would not be welcome in the academy, but I would take you for an apprentice.”

She shook her head quickly, and he looked mildly put-out but nodded anyway. “Were I your master, your first lesson with me would be to let go of your fear. It will keep you alive, but if you allow it to control you, you will fall to the darkness,” he said and she shuddered, thinking of the shadow that lingered around her.

He continued. “You should guard yourself more thoroughly, Reyna. Not all Knights will be able to resist the call of your power,” he said as he reached out again towards her and she flinched away now that she had some mobility back. His expression fell slightly, and he dropped his hand from her.

“A pity.”

With that he turned and melted into the crowd, and she took in a shuddering breath. “Fuck . . .”

Rey knew the instant the man’s power had faded, because suddenly people were looking at her strangely and she was shoved on the shoulder a bit as though the man walking by hadn’t seen her at all. He apologized profusely but his confusion of how he’d missed seeing her was clear. She waved him off and continued to stand there for a few minutes before a hand came around her arm.

“Oh my stars! Rey! What was that? One minute we were walking and the next I was just wandering around. Are you alright?” Kord asked, her voice overrun with concern as she faced her human companion.

“It was a Knight of Ren,” Rey whispered.

Kord’s expression froze and she began tugging insistently on Rey’s hand. “Come on. We’re leaving—Now,” she said and Rey let the other girl pull her along until they were back on their ship. She sat in the communal area while Kord got the ship out of the hangar and back into space.

Rey was having a hard time wrapping her head around what had just happened. Even on top of what had occurred on Earth, she’d nearly been kidnapped in the middle of thousands of people in broad daylight. Kylo Ren and his _child-snatching brethren_ fell even further in her estimation—if that was even possible.

Kord came back and sat beside her. The cabin was quiet for a long while until Rey finally spoke. “He was going to take me . . .” she said, trailing off.

“But he didn’t,” the indigo twi’lek said and Rey heard the ‘why?’ loud and clear.

She swallowed before nodding. “I um . . . I was kidnapped before—from my world,” she said and did her best to keep herself steady. In the months since she’d been taken, Rey had done nearly everything in her power to cope—to forget—to _move on._

Kord’s words were soft and soothing. “Is that how you ended up within the empire?”

Rey inclined her head shallowly. “Yeah. You know already that I have some Force-sensitivity. Someone came to my planet and took me because of that.”

“But they let you go?”

Rey laughed. “More like threw me away. He figured out that I was more trouble than I was worth and left me on a rim-world with no translation nodes as punishment.” She thought back to those day she spent wasting away in the darkness before the blinding fall of re-entry and the pains of hunger and injury as she was carried into the remote office of De’Pruren.

“Rey, I’m—I’m sorry,” Kord said as she put her arm around the earth girl.

Tears welled up and fell from her eyes as much of the pain that she’d kept bottled up for months surfaced and she turned toward Kord. The twi’lek pulled her close and allowed her to sob into her shoulder. Kord’s cool fingers rubbed circles into her skin and Rey could feel the thread of the twi’lek’s energy signature wrapping around her. Kord wasn’t Force-sensitive, but her empathy and open mind were like a balm to Rey’s nearly shredded existence.

Casarian had been right. She was afraid—afraid of the Knights—afraid of what she would find when she returned home—afraid of what the future held and if her suffering so far was but a taste of what was to come.

Rey wrapped her own arms around Kord’s middle and held on to the other woman like an anchor in a storm. “I thought I was safe,” she finally said quietly. “I thought he would never find me.”

“He won’t,” Kord said.

The Earth girl snorted. “He could.”

But Kord shook her head. “No, Rey. The Knights—there aren’t as many as they like people to think there are. They stick to the bigger hub planets in order to find people. I didn’t . . . didn’t think you were strong enough for anyone to notice, but from now on, we’ll only go to the less populated planets.”

Rey wanted to say ‘No’ and ask to go back to Takodana. She wanted to hide in her little blue house and just paint until she could go home, but . . . she also wanted to see the galaxy. The Knight had told her not to give in to her fear—not to let it control her. She was in a spaceship with a purple alien about to go on a month-long tour of the most beautiful places that human eyes had ever seen. Could she really crawl under a rock just because she was afraid?

“It’ll be alright, Rey,” Kord whispered into her hair and the earth girl nodded.

 

* * *

 

The raid _had_ been going well . . . at least until Kylo had felt _her._ And now he watched in silent horror as the Resistance ship jumped away and his fists clenched. This was his fault.

“Stop! Don’t fire!” he’d yelled, halting Hux’s orders to destroy the ship and _finish the war._ He’d ordered instead for the TIEs to incapacitate the ship, but they’d failed, and the vessel had escaped.

The bridge of the Defender was quiet—only Hux’s increasingly agitated breathing breaking the silence. No one was looking his way, their eyes averted from him but their _thoughts_. . . their thoughts were damning, and stabbed his mind with accusations like his saber through flesh.

“Lord Ren. A word?” Hux asked, his voice piercing the thick atmosphere of the bridge as the techs and officers in attendance sat in shock at the catastrophic failure they’d just witnessed. Kylo’s fists clenched as he gave a short nod, and the pair moved to the back of the command center and into a private conference room. The quiet of the bridge continued even after the door had shut leaving Kylo and Hux alone.

Hux moved away, his back to the Supreme Ruler and he was still for a moment before a gloved fist slammed down onto the table. “What the hell was _that?”_ the general asked, his voice straining with fury.

Kylo flinched, but kept his voice even. “I don’t have to justify my actions—”

The general whirled around and Kylo could see two angry splotches of color high on Hux’s cheeks as the man’s temper frayed further. “Yes you do! Fuck! Kylo, this would have been a decisive victory to end the war and you just flushed it down the drain! Every holonet station will be burning up with news of this and the people will question everything! _Everything Kylo!”_

He knew all of this, but . . . “I could not allow that ship to be destroyed.”

“And why not? What am I going to tell the empire when we are overrun by the press looking to make a mockery of the government?” Hux asked angrily.

Kylo breathed deeply as he sat down at the conference table. His face rested in his hands and for once, he reached out towards the exemplar, seeking her warmth—her comfort. She was there in the back of his mind, unknowingly helping to calm his frazzled nerves.

His answer was quiet. “Generals Organa and Solo were aboard that ship.”

Hux came to stand beside him before sitting in the seat beside the Supreme Ruler, his eyes accusing. “I thought you were in this to win,” he said quietly.

“I am.”

But the general shook his head. “I have always supported you, Kylo—even when you dragged me before Snoke, and then again when you wanted to leave that creature. I got you a fleet of ships with the last penny of my family’s fortune. I bet _everything_ on you time and again. You are the Supreme Ruler of the Correllian Empire, and _I_ am the one who put you there, because I thought our goals were aligned.”

“They are,” he gritted out.

The general snorted derisively. “You have always known they were the enemy. What did you think would happen when we won?”

Kylo’s jaw clenched.

Hux sighed as he sat back and his expression was disgusted. “Oh, you thought you’d wave your hand and the problem would solve itself. This is a war, Ren. Not an excuse for you to exercise some half-baked childish rebellion against your parents!”

“I know.”

The general shook his head. “Obviously you don’t. This . . . _debacle_ could ruin everything.”

“That won’t happen,” Kylo said as he finally looked up and met Hux’s eyes.

“And how can you be so sure?”

“Because you already have a plan for how to deal with it,” he said with full confidence.

Hux’s mouth twisted as he looked away. “Do not ever speak of _my_ messes again. You are correct. I will fix this—and then you are going to take a leave to go find your exemplar while I put us back on track.”

His own general was ordering him around like an errant child.

“Do not give me that look, Ren,” Hux said. “You have been stalling, too afraid to face your exemplar and admit your mistake in taking the wrong girl.”

Hux was not wrong, but he wasn’t entirely right, either. Kylo _was_ afraid, but not of what he would find on Earth, but of the possibility of what he _wouldn’t_ find there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those that commented last chapter, I got a 104% on my calc test. :D
> 
> Anyway, we have another Knight that has appeared, and initially, he wasn't supposed to show up again in this story, but I think I may edit him in or replace a different Knight who comes in later. Also, apologies if that last bit with Kylo seems a bit tacked on. I had actually removed that scene from the story entirely, however I kept getting comments from people asking for more Kylo Ren(with good reason) so I added it back. 
> 
> On a last note, I get a lot of questions regarding certain plot details, for example, how Kylo found Rey. So far this story has revealed how he did it and how he knew what she looked like(hopefully in an organic way). I know when you guys ask questions, I almost always answer with "That will be revealed later," but sometimes, what you're asking about isn't what I was thinking about and I didn't spend any time answering it in the story.
> 
> A big pet peeve of mine when I'm watching movies or reading books are plot holes. Like the kind you can drive a truck through. It completely messes with my ability to enjoy a story when my brain is going, "Wait, what???" So, if something is confusing, please still ask about it, because as my beta-reader will attest, I am changing this story constantly and very little beyond what I've released is set in stone.


	17. Chapter 17

_No! Get away from me!_

_He_ was following her through the thicket and her dress was catching and tearing and he was still just _there._ She fell to the ground, the grass beneath her moist and lush. Her fingers dug into the rich soil as he bore down on her. His held his hand out, reaching towards her and she shook her head in fright as she lashed out.

Rey gasped as she woke up, her fingernails burning as they were bent forward and backward on the strength of her grip on her sheets. She panted heavily and blinked several times in the dim of her bedroom. She looked towards the viewport and the hyperspace beyond. She continued to gaze out at the hypnotizing display in an attempt to calm herself down when she noticed something else floating across her vision. It was a paintbrush and it moved as though the gravity had been removed from the ship.

“What?” she asked quietly into the silence. Was she still dreaming?

Rey looked around and it was not only her paintbrush but articles of clothing, jars of pigments, and some of the furnishings.

Her breathing picked up again as she moved back.

_Don’t be afraid . . . We all feel it too._

_What?_ That . . . that hadn’t been her. There was someone _else._ What . . . what was happening? Her mind, she realized. Her mind was open for _anyone_ to see. She slammed the walls back up, shielding herself, but the items kept floating. Rey shook her head and couldn’t stop the scream from ripping from her chest as she buried her face in her knees.

Seconds later the door opened and Kord rushed to her side. “Rey! Rey, what’s wrong?” she asked and just like that, everything fell to the ground. A few of the jars shattered against the durasteel floor and she flinched. Kord pulled her close and held her tight.

Rey shuddered as she struggled to understand. “What’s happening to me?” she asked. “Everything was floating through the air.”

She couldn’t see Kord’s expression but she felt the twi’lek nod. “It was all over the ship. Even a few things in my room.”

“I’m sorry,” Rey whispered.

“Don’t be. It’s alright. You’re a Force-user. It’s only natural—”

Rey shook her head. “But I’m not—”

Kord pulled away enough to look her in the eyes. “I know you don’t want to be, but that’s what you are. It’s not like an extra toe that can be removed. The Force is inside you and will be with you always.”

She looked away. “I just want it to stop.”

The twi’lek sighed. “Rey, there is no stopping the Force. If it has a plan for you, then . . .”

“What plan?”

Kord shrugged. “I don’t know, but there are hundreds if not thousands of stories of great Jedi, Sith, and Exemplar who followed the call of the Force and their names are still spoken of today as legend.”

Rey pulled away and gestured to herself. “Kord, look at me. Do I look like some kind of great Force-user to you? I’m afraid of my own God damn shadow half the time,” she said, her lips tight and pinched.

Kord looked sad. “I think something terrible happened to you and you’ll never forget it, but I also see someone who has risen above what what was done to you. You’re here, with me on this ship. You’re so close to being able to go back to your home.”

Rey nodded and took a steadying breath. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything, Rey. I just reminded you of the truth.”

Kord looked over at the clock. “It’s just about the time I get up anyway. We’ll be arriving on Aridus in a few hours.”

“What’s on Aridus?”

“Not much. Most of the planet is a desert except for one great island located in the middle of the Arid Sea. The salt baths there are the best in this part of the empire and I’ve got a client staying there.”

“Oh,” she said

Kord smiled. “Are you alright, now?”

Rey nodded. “I’m okay. Thanks Kord.”

The Twi’lek inclined her head and stepped over the small droids that were already cleaning up the glass and pigments.

Rey continued to sit in bed for a while and she watched the colors of hyperspace reflect across every surface in her room. Someone had been there. She hadn’t said anything to Kord, not wanting to worry the other woman, but someone had been in her mind when she’d been asleep and they’d remained after she’d awoken. That had never happened before—at least not that she knew of. Could it have been Caserian? She didn’t think it was him—it hadn’t felt like him.

Perhaps she was spending too much time on the other plane. Rey spent much of her free time there wandering through the tangle of threads that bound all life in the galaxy. Every thread she touched told the story of a life and eventual death and it was difficult navigating through the endless folds of golden knotted thread.

Poe was there somewhere, she just needed to find him.

She spent what felt like decades picking through the threads, and many other users—Knights, she believed—would occasionally brush past her. Some continued on while others lingered around her. One in particular stayed with her as the years passed within—one she knew to be Caserian.

He was nothing but a mist of thin light to her, just as she was sure she was only that to him. He would not hear her words but she spoke to him none the less—if only to break the endless silence. She couldn’t bring herself to mention him to Kord and worry her friend unnecessarily. Years would slip by on the other plane, but only a few hours would pass in the real world.

Caserian had been the first to stay as the others seemed as though they were unsure of what she was, but they were never threatening in any way so she did her best to ignore the ever increasing number of them that shadowed her. And the darkness . . .

It crept ever closer, moving down her thread slowly, curiously—Not at all like it had been the first time. There was a caution and wariness about it that confused her, but so long as it kept its distance from her as she moved through the tangled knot looking for Poe’s thread, she blocked it from her mind.

Was she going too far? Staying too long? Maz had warned her not to push it too much—that the process could take years. But how the hell was she supposed to find Poe— _Earth_ —if she didn’t keep looking?

But now things were changing, even despite her best efforts. Kord was right, there were other things at play, ‘forces’ that were pushing her along on a path. She gritted her teeth at the feeling of helplessness that filled her mind.

If it wasn’t the shit-lord, it was his God-damned _Force._

Rey got up from the bed and made her way to the ‘fresher. She splashed water over her face and looked into the mirror. She looked as though she’d just come from a spa. Relaxed and completely at ease. No lines, no dark circles, no stress breakouts—the nanites did a splendid job of hiding her problems from the outside world. She didn’t sleep and she rarely ate and no one would ever _know._

She gritted her teeth and clutched at the sink in anger. Everything was different and it was all _his_ fault. She continued to stare until a soft, but striking sound broke her thoughts—that of glass breaking.

Rey looked down and there in the corner of the mirror was the tiniest of cracks in the plastaglass. She backed away, her eyes riveted on the defect and she shook her head. That hadn’t been her. She couldn’t do that!

Rey turned and left the ‘fresher. She looked out into the void of hyperspace as she took a few slow breaths. She wasn’t angry—she wouldn’t waste the time it would consume to be truly angry.

Rey swallowed before pulling off her sleeping clothes and slipped on one of the many light dresses that Kord and given her when they arrived on the first planet of the trip—well the second, if one counted Yavin IV.

So far they’d visited three other planets in the ten days since Yavin IV, all had been sparsely populated, just had Kord had said, and so far she hadn’t seen another Knight since. The first planet had been a colder winter planet, furs and heavy embroidered fabrics were the fashion of choice. She hadn’t brought anything that would work in that climate so she’d been prepared to simply stay aboard the ship but Kord had shaken her head, her lekku waving around her back dramatically.

“I’m almost hurt, Rey, that you would think I’d drag you around the galaxy and then just leave you in the ship.”

Rey had blinked. “But I didn’t bring any—”

Kord rolled her eyes before interrupting. “I have to confess, I had a bit of an ulterior motive in inviting you on this little trip.”

She was almost afraid to ask. “What?”

The twi’lek pursed her lips and tapped on her chin with a single perfectly manicured finger. “Well, In order to show some of my designs, I thought I would just bring you along to wear them for the client so they can see what the clothes look like on a person. Sometimes they bring their own servant for that purpose and sometimes they don’t.”

Rey hadn’t known quite what to say to that. “Oh.”

So she played model for a bit and rubbed elbows with some of the most wealthy people in the galaxy. It was hard reconciling that with the fact that she’d been eating cardboard-flavored puff bread in a dingy tiny apartment less than two months ago. When she was working on her art, it was the pants and aprons she’d brought, but when she left the ship, she wore whatever was given to her.

Kord’s style was ornate and colorful and Rey felt awkward in the formal clothing but she did her best to carry it well for the twi’lek’s clients. Kord hadn’t been joking when she’d talked about the pampered clients who expected premiere luxury. Rey had watched from the sidelines as Kord gently guided the men and women of the intergalactic aristocracy into the most flattering clothing options for their body types. It was fascinating to watch, really, and she admired Kord’s ability to deal with so many different people and personalities and yet always keep a professional composure through every situation.

Rey looked down at her simple dress. It was a long sheer chiffon-like number made up of multiple layers to make it opaque. Kord had wanted to dress her in gowns with beading and embroidery and plunging necklines.

“That’s Corellian style, Rey,” she’d said.

Sure enough, many of the ladies and gentleman that Rey saw  with Kord were decked out in sheer gowns and robes of pastels and covered in lace and beading. It was beautiful, but the Earth girl thought that a bit much for a tourist. For the most part, Rey went around in the simpler dresses that Kord had given to her. Most were solid colors of buff, burgundy, gold and black.

 

She slipped on a pair of black sandals and pulled her hair up into her customary three buns and grabbed her jacket. Kord was already sitting in the dining area, fully dressed and made up and looking perfect in her white cape dress.

The table was set with an array of fruit and what passed for cheese danishes out here in the empire. Her friend was sipping on a steaming cup of caf but put it down to pour Rey her own.

“How are feeling?” Kord asked, eyeing her with concern.

Rey met her gaze steadily. “I’m okay. It was just a nightmare and I was a little flustered.”

The twi’lek reached over and rested her hand over Rey’s. “You can talk to me. You know that, right?” she asked and Rey nodded.

“Thank you.”

Kord patted her fingers a few times before pulling away. “You’re my friend, Rey. If you need help, I’m there for you.”

She smiled at her friend. “Thanks.”

Kord nodded and took another drink of her caf. Rey did the same and nibbled on a piece of fruit.

“We’ll be landing soon. Do you want to do the honors, this time?”

“Really?” she asked

Kord pursed her lips as though thinking it over but her gleeful smile eventually gave her away. “Of course. You’re good enough now to handle it yourself.”

Rey stuffed the rest of the fruit in her mouth and took off towards the cockpit of the vessel. Kord’s ship was incredibly advanced and actually did not require the use of a pilot at all, but Rey had been slowly learning to maneuver the craft in anticipation of piloting her own ship someday.

Kord stood behind her in the doorway as Rey guided the ship out of hyperspace and took over manual control. Navigation charts instantly appeared across the screen relaying the coordinates and trajectories of other ships in the area and within the flight path towards their destination. Aridus lived up to its name and reminded Rey of Ord Canfre—well except for the giant sea that sat like a blue gash in the planet. Within the sea, there was an island—the only green to be seen on the planet. As she got closer to the city island, she noticed that something about it was off. It never quite came into focus.

 _There must be a dome,_ she realized. Some of the more exclusive resorts and hideaways used these mostly clear shields to keep waywards eyes off their clients. That would explain the ring as well. She contacted the landing control admins and gave them her docking codes and was directed to land in one of the bays within the ring. Kord put her hand on her shoulder as she brought the ship inside to dock and proceeded to land. The external doors to the bay closed behind them, securing the ship and Kord clapped her on the back.

“You’re a natural,” she said, beaming at Rey’s smiling face.

 _Poe would be proud,_ she thought. When she got back to Earth _she’d_ teach _him_ to fly!

Security guards watched everyone as they came and went. She waved her hand over the scanner, registering her ID and the landing bay doors opened. The ring went on and on for as far as she could see on either side.

The signs pointed to the right to the ferry terminal so she and Kord hopped on the way lane and held on as they were shuttled faster than a land speeder around the ring to the terminal. They went through security again before being directed to one of the many ferries that took visitors between the ring and the island.

The ferry was more of a pleasure barge—large and decked out in luxury as it glided over the water towards the landing port on the island. A droid rolled by and offered them shallow glasses of rose-colored alcohol. Rey took one and tasted the slightly fruity drink. Kord didn’t seem to think anything of the amenities but Rey was rather unnerved.  The ‘boat’ along with the ring and the dome . . . this place was perhaps the most excessive location that she’d ever been to.

“Who pays for all this?” she finally asked.

Kord smiled. “The island was built by the Shera Resort Corporation which is owned by the Hux family. Those people have their fingers in all the pies, but apparently Lady Hux got sick of being spied upon when she went on vacation so she created this chain of very private resorts. They take security, luxury, and extravagance to a whole other level—and people pay through the nose for it. There aren’t very many Shera Resorts, but there are just enough of the insanely rich that they make a nice profit every year.”

Rey blinked at the rather matter-of-fact explanation. “Oh . . .” she said.

The ferry turned a bit and Rey was finally able to get a good look at the island—and Rey was impressed. The sea was a salty but the island was lush and green. There was a mountain that towered into the air on one side and a small but very modern city spouted up on one side with white spires built into the land.

It was nearing dusk so she pulled her phone out and hastily snapped a few photos of the beautiful island while she still had the light. Rey had a lot of pictures from the planets they’d visited so far; the winter planet and the tropical ones, the gorgeous architecture and the colorful sentients that she encountered. She wanted to record as much as she could.

The ferry eventually docked and they scanned their chips one more time before entering the city. She noticed the noise first as they got closer to the city center. The place was a madhouse and not at all what Rey had been expecting. Humans and sentients in colorful clothes and wild hairstyles strode and danced through the streets and music along with the scents of cooking food filled the air. So far, the planets Kord had taken her to were very quiet and remote. There had to be _thousands_ of people jammed into just this street alone.

Rey was still staring around when Kord spoke up. “Do you want to come with me or stay for the festival?”

She looked around, unsure. “What festival is this?” she asked.

Kord leaned in. “This week is the anniversary of the ascension of the Supreme Ruler two hundred years ago. It used to just be a day but it’s celebrated all week on many planets and we’re here during the tail end. He’s also in this sector visiting a couple of planets so even if he doesn’t come here in person, everyone is putting on a show.”

Rey felt her stomach drop. “He might come here?”

Kord shook her head. “No. He won’t be anywhere near this system, much less this planet. It’s not on his route and he’s never been one for pleasure planets. We might see a few more imperial officers, but that’s only because my client is the mother of one of the generals and he might stop by to see her. No Force-users and no Knights, though.”

There were probably hundreds of planets in the sector and Kord sounded confident in her assessment that neither _he_ nor any of his Knights would bother with this world so Rey nodded.

“I think I’ll take a look around,” she said smiling at the sheer joy that was emanating from the crowd.

The twi’lek nodded. “I’ll only be an hour as this is just an initial consult. I’ll meet you back here.”

Rey smiled and waved at her as she disappeared into the sea of people. She walked for a while, passing through the crowds who were partying wildly. Neon lights in a rainbow of colors lit up the darkness and she smiled as men and women danced around the various musicians that stood in the streets playing for tips. It was so noisy that she nearly did not hear the sound—like someone whispering in her ear. She looked over and through the throngs of people and saw a stone building that stood in stark contrast to the modern and sleek architecture on either side.

Her head tilted and she walked towards it. She hesitated as she heard it again. The sound of a whispering question.

 _Will you . . .?_ it asked.

Will she what?

_Can you . . .?_

There was a placard beside the door proclaiming the structure to be a historical sight. But why would there be a historical sight on a man-made island? She wasn’t able to dwell on her questions for long, though. Something inside was asking for her. Rey tried to reach out with her senses, looking for the thread of life, but there was nothing—No person whose mind she could brush or energy she would sense. Rey shook her head and made to leave anyway. She wanted no part in this.

Are _you . . .?_

She froze. “Am I what?” she whispered before turning back to the door. “Do you know?” she asked aloud but there was no answer. Was the Force trying to tell her something? If it was . . . maybe it would show her the way to Earth. Rey was anything but confident as she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The building was dark with the only illumination coming from the candles that seemed to be placed around rather sporadically.

“Do you know me?” she asked again into the darkness.

“No, child. I’m afraid I don’t.”

Rey’s nearly jumped out of her skin at the answer. She watched as an old man, his hair white and his beard long stepped from the shadows. He had on long brown robes that she recognized. _Jedi,_ her mind whispered. But that was impossible. Their order was extinct.

“I—I’m sorry. I thought I heard something,” she said as she began backing away.

“What did you hear?” he asked. Neither his voice nor stance were in any way threatening. Only . . . curious.

“Nothing,” she said quickly. “I’m sorry.”

The man’s watery eyes narrowed. “This is a place of great connection with the Force. If you thought you heard something, you almost assuredly did. Perhaps it called to you.”

Rey sighed. “I’m trying to get home. I thought the Force could help me,” she said.

“But it hasn’t yet.” he said, his tone questioning.

She shook her head. “No. The Force has done _nothing_ but ruin my life,” she said.

The man was quiet for a time, his eyes sweeping over her, his mind brushing hers and she shuddered as her walls broke before him as tissue paper would to a cresting wave. _He was powerful . . ._  She wanted to back away—to run—-but something told her that this man wouldn’t harm her.

“Someone . . . someone strong with the Force . . . he hurt you,” the man said knowingly.

“Yeah,” she said and of course he knew. Maz had been able to pick apart her past in minutes and this guy seemed to take the Force even more seriously than the bar owner.

“Perhaps if you had some training,” he said almost gently, “next time you would be able to defend yourself.”

Rey grimaced. “I’m not looking to pick a fight with a guy like Kylo Ren or any of his Knights. I’m perfectly fine staying out of their way and just getting back home,” she said tiredly.

The man shook his head sadly. “Your planet will not be enough for you. The Force already calls to you to accept your destiny, and you will have to take up arms eventually. The galaxy will not allow you to remain neutral.”

Rey stared at him for a moment. “No,” she said softly. “I won’t be dragged into some intergalactic fight that I have no stake or interest in. Find someone else.”

The man looked pained. “There is no one else. The Force brought _you_ here. You should stay awhile and listen to what it has to say.”

She was getting nowhere with this crazy guy and his convoluted words. “I think I’ll pass,” she said before she turned and pushed the door open again.

 _Rey . . . These are your first steps . . ._ was whispered into her mind.

 _The hell they are,_ she thought. “I’m not playing these goddamn games,” she murmured to herself as she looked back but found the structure gone. In its place was a small courtyard leading to a business that was closed for the night.

_Had any of that been real? Or was it another vision?_

“What the fuck was that?” she whispered. _Great._ Now she was full-on hallucinating— _in public._ Her comm chimed from her pocket and she pulled it out. Kord’s picture flashed and Rey blinked. _That was quick,_ she thought.

“Are you done already?” Rey asked after accepting the call.

Kord didn’t look impressed. “Holy shit, Rey! Where the hell have you been?”

“Been? I—I’ve been looking around?” she said, blinking in confusion.

The twi’lek looked frantic. “You didn’t answer any of my comms! I thought you’d—”

Kord thought she’d been taken . . . The hallucination . . . but it hadn’t been that long. She must have lost time. Rey swallowed but forced a smile. “I’m almost there. Just a few more minutes," she said, proud of herself for sounding so normal.

“Alright. Just hurry up," Kord said and the connection ended.

Rey stood still amongst the writhing crowd. What did this all mean? She needed training? Rey shook her head. She had no intention of ever seeing Kylo Ren again, or fighting him. The guy was a wackjob, and Rey intended to very much keep her distance from him and his supreme douchebaggery.

Rey had been through too much in her life to fall into the cycle of revenge or payback. It would have gotten her thrown in jail back on Earth and out here, it would probably be out an airlock. No . . . for her, the ultimate payback would be getting back to her home and living her life as if he were nothing but a rock that she’d stubbed her toe on—a minor inconvenience not important enough to even comment on. He hadn’t _broken_ her.

Still, she was petty enough to hope that whoever the next girl was, that she made his life a living hell. It was a funny thought and Rey even cracked a smile at the idea of the girl in the white coat screeching about her hairdryer not plugging into the power outlets or something. She kept the smile as she began walking quickly, cutting a line through the crowd on her way back to her meeting spot with Kord. It wasn’t far, thankfully and she truly got back in only a few minutes.

“What happened? Your comm wasn’t working,” Kord said worriedly.

“Must have been a deadzone,” Rey said with a shrug.

Kord looked thoughtful as she looped her hand through Rey’s arm. “Just be careful out there, yeah?”

She smiled. “Sure.”

Kord was still looking her over critically. “You look a little tired. Let's go get some caf.”

Rey nodded and let the other woman lead her away towards a cafe on the northern side of the city, close to the massive stone resort. Vibrant neon lights gave way to the the subtle glow of street lamps that looked to have been carved from marble. They were incredibly ornate with flowers and vines swirling in aesthetically pleasing designs. The area was clearly more affluent than the district where most of the revelry was going on and the restaurants and bars gave way to higher end shops and people dressed to impress rather than for comfort. The small bistro was filled with monied individuals relaxing in small vignettes and sipping caf in antique china cups. Kord fit right in but Rey wasn’t so sure about herself.

 

  
  
_Kord Mondrechia_

They sat down in a pair of stylized wingback chairs overlooking the street through a wide picture window. The duraplast was inlaid with swirling designs reminiscent of an art nouveau style and the rest of the cafe reflected a similar aesthetic. They ordered their drinks from the holo menu, and Rey decided that it was the nicest Starbucks that she’d ever been in.

“How was your meeting?” Rey asked as they waited for their drinks to arrive.

Kord’s eyes slid over to her and Rey could tell she had been waiting for the question. “Lady Hux has herself a new boytoy. Can’t be much older than her own son, really,” she said leaning in as if this was a very juicy piece of gossip that Rey should care about.

“This is important?” Rey asked.

Kord rolled her eyes. “ _Rey._ Lady Margolin Hux is one of the most powerful people outside the Imperial political system— _of course it’s important!”_

“She’s the one who owns the resort right?”

Kord looked towards the ceiling as if commiserating with someone on high. “I keep forgetting that you don’t know Imperial history. Lady Hux’s son, Armitage, is one of Kylo Ren’s generals and probably one of the most powerful men in the empire. Before the invasion by the Yuuzhan Vong, he supported the Supreme Ruler and convinced his mother to pay for Kylo Ren’s first fleet of ships when he was trying to establish himself after Snoke’s death. The Supreme Ruler holds her and her son in the highest esteem.”

Their drinks arrived—some kind of thick bantha milk concoction for Kord while Rey had gotten a hot cup of caf.

“And yet, you don’t sound terribly impressed,” Rey said, taking a sip of her beverage.

The twi’lek sucked a bit of her own drink through a straw and pursed her lips before answering. “General Hux is an oddball. His mother keeps trying to set him up with the most beautiful men and women, human and sentient, trying to gauge his interest. But he’s married to his work. All he cares about is creating the perfect soldier to serve the empire. He’s obsessed with the art of war. Force knows what he’ll do when or if this war with the Resistance ever ends.”

“He turned you down, didn’t he,” Rey said knowingly.

The twi’lek tried to look offended but failed spectacularly before shrugging. “He’s completely my type too,” Kord said wistfully.

Rey laughed, but Kord pulled the holo menu back up and hit a few commands before handing it over. It was a holovid of a man with bright orange hair and space-pale skin. He was . . . not hard on the eyes.

“That’s General Hux,” Kord said and that should have been the end of it but Rey continued to watch the feed. It was clearly something that had been broadcasted at some other point and wasn’t live. The general was making some kind of statement.

“Yesterday, during a raid on a Resistance base, an enemy ship carrying Generals Organa and Solo was allowed to escape.”

There was background noise that became a deafening roar as people attempted to call out questions to the general but the man held up a darkly gloved hand calling for silence.

“I will take questions after the announcement. The ship was carrying Organa and Solo, however it was also carrying something else—someone else. The Supreme Ruler called off the attack when he sensed that the ship was also carrying thousands of Imperial POWs. The Resistance used our own soldiers—our _citizens_ to shield themselves and were able to make their escape. We are providing our scanning data to the public as well, which will confirm that the cargo hold of the vessel contained some two thousand and thirteen people. I will take questions now—”

She clicked off the video feed and another popped up in its place. An announcement that the Supreme Ruler was returning to the uncharted zone to seek out the light exemplar. Rey hastily shoved the thing away from her and Kord took it with a raised hairless brow.

“Not a fan of the Supreme Ruler?” she asked.

“Hardly," she muttered.

Kord’s tone became innocent. “Everyone thought he was horribly disfigured during the war and that’s why he wore the mask—who knew he was hiding a perfect face under there.”

Rey _knew,_ but a shitty personality—and the minor detail of him trying to murder her—always trumped good looks. Kord watched as the holo-vid began extolling the Supreme Ruler’s actions in pushing the Resistance back further into the uncharted zone and Rey looked away.

“He’s a hell of a military leader, that’s for sure,” Kord said, her expression searching as she eyed Rey.

“He’s not a terribly . . . likable person, though,” Rey said carefully.

The twi’lek shrugged. “Well of course not. He’s the Supreme Ruler. You don’t get to be in that kind of position by being a nice guy. And, of course, he’s the dark exemplar.”

“What exactly is an exemplar?” Rey asked. She’d never been able to bring herself to ask Maz about this _other_ girl that Kylo Ren wanted. Kord seemed like a much safer choice.

The twi’lek shrugged. “History isn’t exactly my forte, especially not something as theological and metaphysical as the Force.”

“Theological?” she asked in confusion.

“You haven’t heard of the Church of the Force?” Rey shook her head so Kord continued, “They’ve been around since the time of Jedi back during the Old Republic. Anyway, from what I can tell every few generations two people will be born that are avatars or ‘exemplars’ of the Force. Their entire job is to keep the other Force-users in line and not allow one side to become more powerful than the other.”

“Like what happened with the Old Empire.”

Kord nodded. “Exactly. The Old Empire was controlled by the Sith while the Old Republic used the Jedi as a crutch to maintain power. The Jedi didn’t run the government but their belief that dark equals evil caused them to wipe out all but a few of the dark users.”

“So there’s always two?” she asked after a moment.

Her friend shrugged. “As far as I know.” Kord paused and took a sip of her caf. “Rumor has it that he has in fact located the light exemplar,” she said, entirely too casually. As Rey looked up and met the twi’lek’s eyes, Kord raised a hairless brow. “In my line of work, body language is everything and you learn to read people,” she said almost offhandedly.

Rey sighed. “It’s not me, if that’s what you’re implying.”

Kord smiled as she took another sip of her drink. “Well obviously not or you wouldn’t have been left on Ord Canfre of all places," she said dismissively. “But _Kylo Ren_ really came to your planet and _kidnapped_ you?”

Rey swallowed the last of her caf before answering. “Yep. And he’s a complete psycho.” Kord looked confused and apparently there wasn’t a translation for that particular bit of slang so Rey elaborated. “He’s crazy and violent and . . . cruel.”

Kord didn’t seem at all surprised by the assessment. “If you want to get back at him . . .” she began, but Rey hastily cut her off.

 _“I don’t._ I’ve got better things to do with my time than think about Kylo Ren,” she said with a dismissive gesture.

“That’s rather big of you, Rey.”

“Not really,” she said as she waved her hand over the holo menu to complete the transaction. It lit up in acknowledgment of her chip and she set the pad down again.

They got up and left their cups on the table. The twi’lek dropped a few credits along with the mess and the pair left. Kord had her arm looped through Rey’s and the two women walked sedately through the streets. The crowd had dispersed some in the time that they’d been having their caf and Rey was able to look into the windows of some of the shops.

“Are you going to talk to Maz again when we get back to Takodana? About the flying paintbrushes, I mean.” Kord asked

Rey nodded. “Probably. I just don’t understand how this is all happening to me. “People on my planet claim all the time to have magical powers but no one ever _actually_ has them. _I_ never had them until I got picked up.”

Kord looked thoughtful. “The Force, like any muscle needs to be exercised in order to make it stronger. Force-users also tend to stick together and feed off one another. When he took you, it probably activated a dormant gene or something,” she paused and seemed to be working something out in her mind, “Force connection is very, very rare. Out of the trillions of people in the galaxy, there are maybe a few thousand at any given time who can actually tap into the Force. It’s strange that there are two of you from the same planet like that.”

Rey blinked at Kord but the twi’lek didn’t meet her eyes.

 

* * *

 

Kylo’s eyes snapped opened and he gasped as his arm shot out agitation, striking whoever was closest. _This couldn’t be happening . . . It was impossible._ There must have been some mistake, but in his very soul, he knew there was no mistaking what he’d seen and _where it had come from._

He tried to sit up and hands attempted to help him but he shoved them away.

“Supreme Ruler!”

Kylo looked over and saw Hux leaning over him, a bruise forming on his cheek while his expression was nothing but concerned. It was then that he noticed that he was in the med bay of the Defender. Doctors and officers swarmed around him taking his vitals and his lip curled in irritation.

“What happened?” he asked and this time he allowed Hux to help him to sit upright.

The general held onto him and there was no mistaking the man’s confusion at the situation. “We were speaking about how you would handle the exemplar’s planet when you suddenly collapsed.”

They had . . . He remembered now. Hux was advising him to allow more ships to accompany him than the first time. He’d realized mid-sentence that the exemplar’s mind had opened to him—to anyone and he’d slipped into her dream. She’d been . . . She had run from him, her face a mask of fright as she’d tripped over her gleaming gold and black dress and landed in the grass. He’d held a hand out to her to help her, but she’d screamed and then suddenly he was seeing through her eyes and he’d seen . . .

“It was—it was her. The exemplar. I saw . . .”

“What did you see?” the general asked.

Kylo swallowed and his eyes fell shut. She’d looked out a viewport and had seen . . . _“Hyperspace,”_   he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Hux blinked several times. “That’s not possible. We have probes watching that planet. There have been no ships coming or going since we left.”

Kylo shook his head in denial as he slipped into the plane of the Force. Their thread . . . he followed it, but it was no longer leading him away from the knot of the empire. It lead directly into its heart. The full force of what was happening was hitting him and his breathing began to speed up and a few of the glass containers in the room shattered.

“Calm down, Kylo.”

He left the plane and looked at Hux. “Turn the ship around. _Now._ That planet . . .”

“Which one?” Hux asked in confusion, but Kylo was too busy reaching out towards her. Her mind was shut to him—more so than ever before. The light exemplar was not on Earth. She was somewhere else—somewhere within the empire.

“Ord Canfre,” he said at last, remembering the desert planet that he’d left her on.

Hux’s eyes narrowed. “What’s on Ord Canfre?”

“My exemplar.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that you all left the best comments last week--like really insightful and thought-provoking. I talked at length with my editor about incorporating some of the things you guys mentioned, and this chapter actually reflects some of those improvements. I'm sorry this chapter is going up so late, but I had to rewrite it almost entirely. It's over a thousand words longer than the next longest chapter I've released so far, so I hope it was worth the wait.
> 
> I did want to extend an additional thanks to my beta reader @futurerustfuture-dust. I'm pretty sure she didn't sign up to be my sounding board at 7am on Thanksgiving day when she agreed to beta-read for me. I was having issues with the chapter and I wasn't sure how to fix them, but she pulled out these amazing ideas and the story will be so much better for her input.


	18. Chapter 18

Kylo Ren stepped off the speeder, his eyes on the crater that still remained from the evac tube even after so many months. The tube was long gone, picked up by the remote office in the city or scavengers. The crater was deeper than he’d have liked, meaning her landing had not been a soft one. _Just one more thing to apologize for when I find her,_ he thought with a grimace—and there was a _list_ at this point.

He looked over the dry, barren landscape. Of all the worlds he could have dropped her on, why did it have to be Ord Canfre? While it wasn’t the furthest planet from the core, it might as well have been. Very few called the desert planet home and it was frequented primarily by freighter pilots and mercenaries—not the sort of people he wanted anywhere near the light exemplar.

He could see the planet’s largest ‘city’, De’Prurin in the distance. It blended almost seamlessly with the golden color of the desert around it, broken up by the occasional splotch of a whitewashed building. Kylo eyed the city for a moment, reaching out, but he felt nothing—which shouldn’t have been possible. She had no ID chip or credits so she couldn’t have left the planet. Not with anyone reputable, anyway.

His brow furrowed as his thoughts became as desolate as the planet he stood on. He should be able to feel her through the Force if they were so close, but there was no light, no connection . . . nothing. When he’d arrived at the planet and felt no call of another Force-user, he’d done his best to reign in his temper. Perhaps she was shielded by something—it was the only explanation he was willing to accept until proven otherwise.

The Supreme Ruler had already sent his troops and a small group of Knights to scour the city for her, but he’d wanted to see the place where she’d landed—if only to prepare himself to face her and the mess he’d made. Kylo gave the crater one more glance before looking away and walking back to his land speeder. He got aboard, and the stormtrooper set a course for the city without prompting. Kylo watched the arid and cracked landscape from his seat in the back cabin for the five minute ride that eventually came to a halt on the outskirts of the city.

De’Prurin was not much better than the desert it dwelled within. The buildings were old and clearly made of a primitive material like stucco. Much of the population had gathered to see who had come to their quaint little home, and he hesitated for only a second before emerging from the speeder. There was quite the mixture of sentients and humans for such a backwater city on a backwater planet. There was a murmur from the crowd as many recognized his face, but could not hope to guess the purpose of his visit.

An officer from the remote office came forward and bowed. “Supreme Ruler, I am Commander Mordell Asettus,” he said, his eyes lowered.

His visit had clearly taken Asettus by surprise. The man’s uniform was far from perfectly pressed and he—like much of these people—had the matted sheen of sweat caked in dust.

“I assume that you know the reason for my visit,” he said with a tilt of his head.

The man swallowed. “I do, sir.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s not here?” the commander asked in surprise before getting ahold of himself. “Sir, I’m afraid that after we received word of her . . . circumstances with regards to her attack on you, we no longer had any dealings with her.”

“What?” he asked dangerously. He’d harbored some small hope that perhaps someone from the remote office would have assisted her in leaving the planet and thus have some record of her location. “What word? I sent no word regarding her.”

Asettus could not meet his eyes, but he was also sure of his words. “We were appraised by your staff as to what happened, and as such we could not render her any aide.”

His jaw clenched in anger and Asettus seemed to have figured out that he needed to say _something_ to defuse what was sure to be an explosion. “We gave her translation nodes in order to question her so . . .”

_Well, there was that at least._ “Where did she go after leaving the office?”

“I—I don’t know.”

“You don’t know . . .”

“We had no reason to track her movements . . .” He trailed off and Kylo continued to stare at him until he burst out, “But I do know who would!”

“Then produce this person.”

Asettus nodded quickly. “We uh—we have people out looking for him. He’s a stormtrooper, but today he has the day off. He would know where she is.”

Kylo grimaced until he felt a call. He looked off to the side to see one of his Knights standing within the crowd of people directly behind a rodian woman and her child. No one noticed the masked Knight, least of all her target.

The rodian seemed to realize that the Supreme Ruler was staring at her and she tried to turn and leave but the Knight halted her movements and the woman froze under the Force-user’s power. He moved forward quickly, his eyes narrowed and the woman shrank away from him—as much as she was able to anyway.

“Mama?” the boy asked, looking up and tugging on her sleeve.

He examined the woman, her thoughts more specifically. It was easy to find the focus of his search, though her last memory of the exemplar had been a holo comm. She wasn’t here, but she kept in contact with the rodian.

“Breeka, this place is so great!” the girl had said with a smile that lit up her face. _Yes_ . . . this is what he wanted, and a great wave of relief washed over him. She was somewhere that made her happy, and she wasn’t suffering because of his actions. Perhaps it would not take as long to seek forgiveness from her.

“I’m so happy to hear that, Rey. You deserve it.” _Rey_ . . . Her name was Rey. In his haste, he’d forgotten to ask her name, but now it was seared into his mind.

“I miss you guys, though,” she said somewhat sadly. As with most holo communications, there was only the washed out image of her from the shoulders up so he could glean no clues from her whereabouts that way. There was the faint sounds of birds but that was not enough to go on.

“I’m only a comm call away,” the rodian responded and the memory faded.

Breeka’s fathomless dark eyes met his and he knew she’d felt his less than subtle probe. The Knight had long disappeared, and Breeka had freedom of movement again. She did not try to escape and instead stared him in the eye—not the smartest thing when it came to dealing with Force-users, but he could admire her bravery. Not many had met his gaze . . . ever.

The Supreme Ruler stood before the petite woman. “Where is Rey?” he asked softly, his head tilting to the side as he searched her mind for the location of the girl. It ate at him to find that she didn’t know. Rey wouldn’t say where she was going, and she hadn’t even given the rodian the name of whoever it was that she’d left with.

_We found something . . ._

His head turned sharply and he left the rodian standing in the market without a backwards glance. More than one of his Knights was interested in whatever had been found. He passed a few rows of buildings before turning a corner. There, in the deserted ally, stood three Knights all looking up at a wall.

Three masked faces turned and looked at him before looking back up at the wall. He joined them and looked up to see what had caught their attention. Kylo could not stop the sharp breath that escaped him. It was the girl he was looking for . . . but not in the flesh. It was a giant stylized image of her surrounded by flowers and done in shades of pink and red with slashes of yellow and green. Her back and shoulders were showing and her head was tilted so the viewer only got a profile look but it was her. She had apparently made an impression on

_someone_ in De’Prurin. From what little interaction he’d had with her, he knew she wasn’t the type of person to paint a giant picture of herself on the side of a building.

“Who made this,” he asked, his voice a bit gruff at the prospect of another person knowing her well enough to have painted such a image.

One of the Knights, Haila Ren, answered. “A twi’lek named Caladon. The son of a bar owner,” she said. “He apparently learned to paint from her and he painted this after she left.” _The son of a bar owner_. . . Kylo twitched at the prospect and scenarios ran through his mind. Most ended with Kylo running the man through with his cross saber for daring to touch her.

“How did she leave?”

Another Knight, Maigin Ren spoke up. “We are still seeking the stormtrooper, but it is only a matter of time.”

He nodded and gave one last look at the mural, committing it to memory before turning away. Kylo stepped back out onto the main road and hoped he was adequately masking his disdain for his surroundings.

He still could not believe what had happened. He’d _left_ the light exemplar on this atrociously hot and _sandy_ planet after _attacking her_. He’d refused to even contemplate the idea that he’d made a mistake in his crazed state, and now months had gone by with her having been forced to eek out a living on this shithole of a planet. Why hadn’t he come sooner?

The breakdown he’d had in the medbay had thankfully been mostly private after Hux had thrown everyone out of the room. Even his most loyal ally had been completely taken aback when Kylo had explained what had happened.

“You nearly killed the exemplar and then jettisoned her to a rim world?” the man had asked quietly. “Ord Canfre is an unforgiving world. What if she’s already dead? Or wishes she was?”

Kylo had shaken his head quickly. “No. The thread is unbroken, she’s still alive, and even if . . .” What? What could he say? ‘Even if she’d been forced to sell herself into prostitution or something equally horrific to stay alive, he’d still take care of her’? He’d buried his face in his hands at the very idea of finding his exemplar in some squalid brothel servicing cargo pilots and mercenaries. Her eyes would be dead and unforgiving—and it would have been all his fault. “I didn’t know what I was doing! I was so angry. She is nothing like Jerah—”

Hux sighed. “Exemplars aren’t carbon copies of one another. You of all people should know that.”

Yes . . . he should have known. Kylo Ren was _nothing_ like Anakin Skywalker.

And the shuttle . . . _Five days,_ he’d left her in there. Unbidden, the memory of the security footage from the last time she’d been within his grasp surfaced in his mind. Kylo shook his head, he didn’t want to think about that—of her limp half-dead body being carried through the ship by a stormtrooper. Of her eventual awakening after being given the spectrum injection.

But her _screams._ He’d never forget those. The desperate fear that he’d heard in her broken voice haunted him. He’d been so smug then, glad to be rid of her, but now . . . he was being torn apart. He _needed_ her.

A gust of tepid wind brushed over him, coating his dark clothing with the powder fine dust that seemed to cling to everything in this dirty town. Kylo grimaced as he did his best to wipe the dirt away while thinking about what she might have possibly had to do to stay alive. He’d left her nearly nine months ago on this dustball rim-world with nothing, and despite Kylo’s less than passive efforts to rid the galaxy of her, she still lived.

Perhaps she’d be thrilled that he’d returned for her. He’d briefly fantasized about coming to this planet and he’d apologize, of course and she’d fling her arms around him begging him to take her away from this armpit of the galaxy. It was a pleasant thought, but hardly in line with the little bit of her personality he’d experienced. No, he’d be grovelling for _years_ to come and he knew it.

He also knew that he needed to find this Caladon who knew her well enough to paint her on the side of a building. There were a half dozen bars within his sight, but the one he sought was not hard to find, not when one of his Knights stood in the thoroughfare—a still dark beacon in a sea of gold and white. The Knight lifted his gloved hand and pointed to a building entrance. Kylo nodded in acknowledgement before looking towards the entrance.

Kylo looked up at the blue sign. Drink Night, it read in standard, but in ryl, the twi’lek native tongue, it translated as something closer to ‘Intoxicated Dreams.’ He allowed a pleased thought to flit through the Force in thanks. Though, when he looked back, the Knight was gone, but that was to be expected.

He looked around at the people here in this tiny town on this rim world. Many stared at him, though few had the nerve to call out. The crowd had lessened instead of grown as the minutes ticked by. As Hux had said, Ord Canfre was an unforgiving world and unless the Supreme Ruler was there to bestow some kind of gift or aide, they had more important things to do than waste time looking at a ruler who was so far removed from their daily struggles.

Kylo walked towards the bar. He’d have someone look into the committees that oversaw the rim-worlds when he returned to Corellia. The door slid open revealing the tiny space. It was dark inside and it took a few seconds fro his eyes to adjust but not long for his intent to become clear. The few patrons that were there threw credits onto the counter and scurried out after the slightest nudge from him.

His attention was immediately on the paintings that hung all over the place. They depicted a wide range of sentients doing varying jobs. Construction, factory work, selling their wares in the street, though the centerpiece was clearly a wide painting in the center depicting the bar owner himself. A few more were of species that he could not readily identify. Paintings were a rare thing, but even he could tell that most of these were done by someone other than the person who had painted the mural outside.

“What do you want with Rey?” a voice asked and Kylo tilted his head at the sight of the young Twi’lek boy. He could be no older than fourteen or fifteen, but he was big enough that his father was having trouble dragging the child off to the backroom of the bar. _This must be the infamous Caladon,_ he thought as he eyed the boy while his father whispered for his son to keep quiet. Not a threat then, but a boy with a crush.

“Quiet! He is the Supreme Ruler!” the boy’s father—Maelin—whispered harshly.

Caladon looked betrayed. “But that’s—!”

“Do what I tell you,” Maelin snapped and the boy looked mutinous but nodded and closed the door. As the bar owner turned to fully face him, Kylo began moving forward, dragging his gloved fingers over the bar.

“I don’t want any trouble,” the older twi’lek said, his hairless brow furrowed. Kylo raised a brow as he sifted through the man’s feelings. Maelin was a pragmatic sentient who had no intention of endangering his family or livelihood for the sake of a waitress who had worked for him for only a few months—especially when it was the Supreme Ruler himself doing the questioning.

Kylo smiled. “I don’t want to give you any. Tell me about the girl that your son painted on the wall outside.”

Maelin swallowed and his eyes flicked to the side—to the walls. “Rey . . . She worked for me for a while. She stumbled into town around eight months ago crying and injured. She said she came from a planet in the uncharted zone but I didn’t ask her about it. It’s not my business.”

Kylo’s gaze had followed Maelin’s. “And these?” he asked gesturing to the art on the walls.

The twi’lek licked his lips. “She painted a lot them and then started selling her stuff off world through the broker next door.”

“When did she leave?”

“Two months ago, some snooty chagrian came in here and swept her off her feet with promises to sell her art and she left.” Maelin paused before continuing “I knew she was obsessed with getting back to her planet, but I didn’t think she’d do something like leave with some random sentient.” The twi’lek was obviously more than a little annoyed to have lost his waitress and Kylo could see that he was not entirely sure she’d made the right decision to leave the relative safety of Ord Canfre with an unknown sentient.

_Her planet?_ She was trying to return to Earth? He supposed that made sense, though the likelihood of her reaching that planet was slim—not without Kylo’s help anyway. He was silent as he digested the information. She was gone, and so far no one on this Force-forsaken planet knew where she was. She was still comming her friend, Breeka, so she hadn’t ended up in brothel or worse.

Maelin spoke up again. “She’s a good kid. Whatever you think she did, it probably wasn’t her,” he said and Kylo could tell the man was worried for Rey’s safety.

“She is not in trouble but I must find her,” Kylo said, unsure why he felt the need to reassure the twi’lek. He pushed a feeling of good intentions towards the sentient which made the twi’lek smile and nod in approval.

Mealin looked thoughtful for a moment. “Look, your best bet is either that stormtrooper she was always with or Waldreg, the broker.”

Kylo’s eyes narrowed. Again with this stormtrooper. He was looking forward to their conversation. The Supreme Ruler nodded shortly and turned to leave the bar, the door shutting behind him. There was still no sign of the soldier so Kylo would speak with this . . .Waldreg.

The door to the shop slid open smoothly and he stepped inside, his gaze flitting around at the various little machines, many not entirely legal to sell in this sector. Towards the back of the shop, there were display cases of jewelry and other valuable trinkets. He ignored all of that in favor of the little man behind the counter who sat staring at him in surprise.

Waldreg jumped up and stuttered out, “S—Supreme Ruler—I—I am humbled to be in your presence. How can I help you?” he asked with great deference.

“I was informed that you could tell me about . . . Rey.”

“Rey?” the man asked in some surprise. “The artist? She left a couple of months ago," he said quickly and Kylo was able to skim the man’s thoughts. He’d made quite a few credits off the exemplar’s art.

“I am aware of that,” he said softly, giving no hint to his probing. “I was told you had dealings with her.”

Waldreg was practically an open book and his mind was nearly as easy read. Kylo caught glimpses of her paintings as she handed them over to the little man and all the way back to their first meeting . . . The sadness in her face as she set a ring on the counter caught his attention. It had meant a great deal to her but she had sold it, most assuredly for food and a place to stay.

“You have a ring that belonged to her.” It wasn’t a question. _He wanted that ring._

The little man’s eyes widened almost comically as he realized what had just happened. “I—I sold that already,” he said with a hint of desperation in his voice.

Kylo peeled back the layers and saw exactly where the ring was. “You are lying,” he said simply and held out his hand. “Give it to me,” he ordered, allowing his power to lace through his words.

Waldreg trembled as he stiffly opened the safe beside him and pulled out a small black box. He set it on the counter and Kylo picked it up. The supreme ruler opened the box, his eyes running over the shiningly polished ring. A blue stone was set in the middle with smaller diamonds on either side. He yanked at the memory of the transaction from the broker as he studied the trinket.

“It was my mother’s engagement ring . . . The husband gives the wife a ring to show his commitment.” The words we soft and confused. Her father had given this ring to her mother and she’d been forced to sell it. Kylo closed the box again and turned to leave but the broker seemed to finally find his voice.

“You can’t take that! It’s worth tens of thousands of credits!” he yelped from behind the counter.

Kylo halted and turned back to the man. “What did you say?” he asked softly—maliciously.

Waldreg seemed to realize the danger he’d found himself in and tried to keep his mouth shut but Kylo was in front of him again in seconds, leaning over, his hand clenching in the air beside the little man’s temple.

“ _Tell me what you meant,_ ” he growled out threateningly.

Tears poured from the broker’s eyes as pain filled his mind and he gasped out, “The—the ring is solid churkopt! Enough for a half dozen hyperdrives. That’s my retirement!”

_Her ring was made of the rarest metal in the galaxy?_ That . . . that could present a problem. Waldreg shrunk further into his seat as Kylo pulled his hand away but the Knight didn’t need to be near him to take . . . everything.

He pulled the memories from the broker one at a time, erasing Rey—and her rare metal ring—from his memory completely. The broker’s mouth hung open and he sagged when Kylo finally released him. The little man would recover. Eventually.

Kylo placed the ring into a pocket within his robes. A present for _Reyna Gillespie_ when he found her. He exited the little shop and stepped back out into the heat. Awaiting him was a stormtrooper bearing the emblem of Ord Canfre on his shoulder and adorned with an orange pauldron to signify his rank as a unit leader. _Ah . . . This must be the stormtrooper,_ he thought. He stalked closer to the soldier, eager to delve into the well of information and memories that were already brewing and bubbling just beneath the surface of FN-2187’s mind.

“You knew her,” he said, and yes . . . 2187 knew her very well. Kylo drew nearer to the ‘trooper as if physically drawn to the memories of her smiling at the other man. His breath caught in his throat as he relived the flashes of the past. They spent so much time together, going out, in that bar . . . _in her home._ His eyes narrowed. Kylo could take the information, but this was easier.

“Take me to her home,” he ordered and the other man nodded silently before leading the Supreme Ruler down the street. There was no guarantee that anything would be the same as it had been. She’d left two months ago, after all, but if there was a chance . . . he needed to _see_.

Her apartment was on the third floor and her lock easily opened to him. The old door creaked as it swung open and he stood in the doorway for a while before stepping inside. The tiny space was empty but for a few pieces of decrepit furniture. His _shower_ in the imperial palace was bigger than this apartment. This was where she’d lived for six months.

It appeared the place had not changed much since she’d left and his breathing came quickly as he recognized the forest she’d painted on her walls. The purple flowers and streams of sunlight. Kylo removed his glove and ran his bare fingers over the paint and a shuttering breath instantly came over him as a memory ripped through him. Her fear of the space, how it reminded her of . . . She’d painted these walls to try and forget her pain and fear.

Kylo’s eyes turned to the lines of marks beside the door. He did not dare to touch them, afraid of what he would see and feel. He knew what they were, of course; he’d plucked the information from FN-2187’s mind. The Supreme Ruler finally turned back and faced the other man.

“Take your helmet off,” he said.

The stormtrooper hesitated but did as he was ordered and Kylo could see the nervous sweat beading on the man’s forehead. He felt the stormtrooper’s fear of him—of Kylo’s intentions towards Rey. 2187 couldn’t even contact her to warn her about the Supreme Ruler’s arrival. He thought Kylo was there to finish her off.

“I assure you, I wish no harm upon Reyna,” he said patiently, searching eagerly through the other man’s memories. He and Reyna had had an instant almost familial connection. Kylo reached out and FN-2187 flinched but did not back away as Kylo almost stroked the other man’s temple, nearly reveling in the happy memories of her as if they were Kylo’s own.

_It wasn’t enough. He needed more of this._

Kylo leaned in close to the wide-eyed man, but it wasn’t the stormtrooper that interested him. _Rey_ . . . she smiled and laughed and Kylo’s eyes slid shut as he lived the memories vicariously. But there was something else.

An image flashed through 2187’s mind. He recognized Kylo—not from the holonet, but somewhere else . . . He’d seen the Supreme Ruler’s face before. She’d _painted_ him.

“Who is this, Rey?”

Her voice was a sorrowful whisper. _“A nightmare.”_

Kylo had to force himself to stop—for now anyway. He pulled away from the panting and shell-shocked FN-2187, but left his hands where they were. This ‘trooper wanted to be an officer and he was more than competent enough to receive such a recommendation. An intelligent attache was always needed and Kylo had little intention of letting his best lead slip through his fingers.

“You are being relieved of your duty here,” he said and 2187 tried to jerk away, his hand coming up to Kylo’s arm.

“But—But sir—” 2187 stuttered out, clearly upset at being removed from the service.

Kylo held on for a second longer before finally pulling his fingers away and breaking the connection.  “You will be remanded to my ship and promoted to ensign. You will report directly to me.”

The man’s jaw dropped open. “I—I—Sir! Thank you!”

Kylo smiled. “Your first order is to get me every scrap of information from the remote office pertaining to the light exemplar and bring it to me.”

2187 was apparently intelligent enough to have put the pieces together, but he still denied the truth. “Light—but Rey isn’t—”

Kylo cut him off quickly. _“She is._ She is the one I have been searching for and you . . . You will help me find her.”

‘87 wouldn’t meet his eyes but his face was conflicted. “You aren’t . . . going to hurt her?” he asked as though the answer would make any difference. Kylo could force the man to do whatever he asked. But this was Reyna’s friend and he would be useful in gaining her trust later.

“She will be treated as a queen,” he murmured, “I give you my word.”

FN-2187 nodded uncertainly and Kylo walked past him.

_My Knights . . ._

The group of darkly clad men and women stood outside by the time he exited the dilapidated building. 2187 stumbled a bit at the sight of them but kept his nerve well enough. He’d become to used to Knights soon enough.

“The light exemplar is not here. She has disappeared into the empire without an ID chip. We can not allow our enemies to know we are searching for her. All transmissions have already been jammed over the planet and there is no communication. Erase our presence here from everyone in the town, and when you finish . . . Find her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies on the late update! I ended up rewriting this chapter twice so hopefully it turned out okay. :)


	19. Chapter 19

Rey watched the world beyond the viewport with hooded eyes. She leaned against the headboard of her bed as the fluttering blue of the sea lulled her into a sense of tranquility. It was the last thing she needed, really, but the calm was soothing. Her canvases were untouched and she hadn’t left the ship, even when they were docked, in days. She knew Kord was worried about her, and Rey felt herself slowly breaking down. The nanites covered up much of the physical symptoms, but there was no denying the lethargy and fatigue that was beginning to set in.

And she could feel it . . . the darkness that had kept its distance on the other plane. When her guard had been down during that dream of  _ him, _ it had connected with her and she could feel it even now in the back of her mind, brushing her thoughts. Rey hadn’t dared to return to the other plane in days, fearful of leaving herself vulnerable again.

But Poe . . . Home . . . she would never find Earth if she did not return there.

The planet she was on was a pretty ocean world with an amphibious species that had called on Kord to construct the debut gown of the crown princess. It was exactly the type of place Rey had been excited to visit, but she could barely muster up the energy to get out of bed.

She managed to muster a smile when the occasional bit of sea life swam by, but eventually she allowed her eyes to slide shut as she floated back into the other plane. She was wary and kept her guard up, but the darkness was nowhere near and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Her hand came up and suddenly she was ensconced in a familiar feeling.

“Caserian . . .” she whispered with a sigh. “What are you doing here?” she asked, though, of course, there was no answer forthcoming.

Had he been here waiting for her this whole time? She could not be sure, but somehow she knew that he had. Tears welled up in her eyes as she sank down onto the bottomless floor. He followed her down and she allowed herself to simply wallow in his presence. While she'd only stayed away a few days, he would have been alone for  _ hundreds of years _ on this plane.

“Why did you wait?” she asked and she felt a gush of pain at the idea that he’d been there all this time waiting for her to return. She felt no anger or accusation from him, but comfort and she wished for a second that he was real.

This man had frightened her—had made her jump at every shadow on every world, and she was wishing he was with her. She’d most likely never see the Knight again. Everything she did was done with the sole purpose of staying hidden.

She still needed to find Poe, and she finally pulled together enough energy to get back up, intent on the knot of threads, but Caserian didn’t follow her as he normally did. He pulled away and she turned back.

“What’s wrong?” she asked but he moved further from her in response and this time she followed him. He moved slowly through the threads until he came to a halt and the mist curled around a single one—one she recognized.

“That’s 2187,” she said, blinking slowly.

She’d found ‘87’s thread long ago and sometimes she would simply hold onto it in order to feel the other man. Rey reached out, the tip of her finger brushing the thread and she pulled away with a gasp as if burned.

“No . . .” she said as she took a step back.

She’d seen what ‘87 saw, seen what he was feeling. His mind was consumed by the darkness and he’d accepted it into himself. Rey looked off into the distance and even as she stood there, she could see that the thread wasn’t where it should have been. It did not lead to Ord Canfre. It lead deeper into the empire and she turned back to Caserian.

“He’s . . . what happened?”

The Knight curled around her again and she knew what he wanted. He wanted her thread—he wanted to find her again. She was tempted to give in. He was no threat to her, she could tell, but she didn’t know why he wanted to find her again.

“I can’t,” she whispered, because no matter that he comforted her for the decades she’d spent on this other plane and helped her retain her sanity. He was still a Knight of Ren. He still served the Supreme Ruler. Rey said as much with a grimace.

“I need to find Poe’s thread, but I’m just so tired,” she said.

His presence was a silent comfort and she stayed there for years working up the energy to get back up again. Threads moved and bobbed around her, changing constantly as life itself changed and evolved.

Many threads moved by her—around her and through her and she was never tempted to touch any of them. To truly interact with a thread was to know someone with indescribable intimacy. ‘87’s thread had called to her, welcomed her but it was the only one that ever had—until now. A single thread came to her, and it slowed as it stayed near. She blinked at it for several months but it never moved. The Knight slipped away from her and the thin light mist curled around it, beckoning her.

She shook her head but he was insistent. It was clearly not Poe’s thread as it lead to the wrong knot and her eyes narrowed.

“This is . . . your thread,” she said softly.

Why would the Knight wish for her to see it, touch it? Was that how he planned to find her? But no . . . he could not see her mind through such a connection. She could only see his.

Rey reached out and plucked the thread so that she only touched it the barest of seconds, but it was enough.

She saw his mind, felt him calling her.

“Please,” he whispered. “Please let me find you again. I would help you—in any way you desire.”

She wanted to ask him why, but she couldn’t. 

“You need help—protection. You will be found soon enough, and then there will be no escape.”

Found by who, she wanted to ask but the connection was broken. If someone was looking for her . . . perhaps she hadn’t been as careful as she’d hoped and she’d been detected somehow.

Rey held her hand out but didn’t pluck the thread again. The essence of Caserian curled around her fingers as she steeled herself and finally rose to her feet. If he was right, she needed to finish her task. She needed to find Poe, needed to buy her ship, needed to get back to Earth.

As she walked, she felt other Knights come towards her in curiosity but they were always seemingly banished from her side—all but Caserian. Perhaps he was responsible for that, though she couldn’t be sure.She came to the folded knot that she’d been working through the last few times and set to work again. 

Rey wondered absently how long she’d been doing this. Decades at least, burying her hands into the knots and picking them apart nearly one by one. Had Kylo Ren really done this as well? Had he spent decades—even centuries on this plane on top of his already long life looking for the light exemplar?  Perhaps that’s why he’d been so angry then. If he’d spent so long looking only to be confronted with the wrong person, an already bad situation would have been just that much worse. 

She still wasn’t sure if she regretted what she’d done or not. 

* * *

Kylo ran a finger down ‘87’s temple and cheek as the other man slept off the aftermath of their latest session. The former ‘trooper had been a welcome addition to his retinue. 2187 was a competent officer and assistant to him, and whenever the Knight felt himself slipping a bit, he could call upon the new officer to . . . assist him. The Supreme Ruler leaned back away from ‘87 and lounged on the sofa as he too came down from the high of the Force connection. 

His Knights were out combing the galaxy for the exemplar, sniffing out the chagrian who had taken her like hounds after prey. It had only been a short time since he’d left Ord Canfre and so he did his best not to overthink the fact that he’d received no news as to her whereabouts. It was a big empire after all. Trillions of sentients inhabited the galaxy and sifting through all of them to simply find one was a tall order.

His comm chimed and his eyes slid open. He hadn’t realized that he’d closed them, but he sighed and begrudgingly got up and went to his desk.

“Yes?” he asked quietly.

Hux’s voice was on the other end. “A ship without identification codes has requested clearance to dock with Ameron Station.”

Kylo’s head tilted. Ameron was military station that was not open to civilians. The  _ Defender _ along with the  _ Finalizer _ and several other ships were docked for repairs and maintenance. Hux would not be notifying him unless he needed the Supreme Ruler to check the vessel, himself. He reached out and felt the ship, but there was no one there—at least not that he could sense.

The Knight snorted. “Allow the ship to dock and escort the pilot to me immediately.”

Hux didn’t hesitate. “Yes, sir.”

_ How long had it been, _ he wondered,  _ since the last time they’d met?   _ Years . . . More than a decade—far longer than Kylo had sentenced him. But then, his apprentice had always been so disinterested in everything, including returning to the fold. Why would he show his face now, though? Kylo didn’t have to wait long. Perhaps fifteen minutes passed before his door chimed and he called for the person to enter.

Kylo was still seated beside his passed out ex-’trooper when Caserian Ren entered. The Knight gave the customary bow, though far more shallow than any other would risk. The Supreme Ruler raised a brow. Not much had changed then. He watched the Knight carefully, looking for any hint as to why he’d returned, but all he could see was the slight furrow in the Knight’s brow as his gaze landed on FN-2187, before it finally swung back to Kylo.

Caserian had changed little in the years since they’d last met, though his bearing was perhaps slightly straighter. Still, even with that small improvement, he still looked . . . unkempt, as though he could not be bothered to patch his own clothes let alone replace them since his banishment. He’d let his hair grow as well, and it was pulled back away from his face into a high ponytail. 

None of this surprised Kylo in any way. Caserian had always preferred to move through people unseen and unnoticed, and so what did he care about his appearance? The Supreme Ruler was only grateful that Caserian at least kept up with personal hygiene. He remembered having to remind the Knight of such things when he’d been young.

“Have you come to finally beg for forgiveness?” Kylo asked, breaking the silence.

He took some small bit of satisfaction in the way Caserian’s jaw tightened. “And why would I do that?” the Knight asked, his tone more serious than Kylo had ever heard before.

“Perhaps you’ve grown tired of living apart from the rest of us? A decade of solitude would wear on anyone.” If anything Caserian seemed baffled by the concept, but then he’d never enjoyed the company of anyone, even Kylo—not after all that had happened.

The Knight was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “I’ve come to request a separation from the Knights, not to rejoin,” he said.

Kylo was up like a shot and the sound of shattering glass could be heard. “What did you say? How  _ dare _ you!”

Caserian did not show any fear and instead looked Kylo in the eye. “I’ve never amounted to much, anyway. I think you’ll hardly notice my absence—no one ever has,” the man said with a hint of dark mirth.

He’d clearly underestimated how deeply the young Knight still felt about what had happened at the Academy. “I would have thought that by now you would have grown up and moved past this—this need of yours to lash out at everything. You are my apprentice you ungrateful child!”

“My decision has nothing to do with what happened then and it has nothing to do with you. In my travels these last few years, I’ve had plenty of time to think. While I may be a Force-user, I was never much for organized religion, and I’ve grown tired of serving a mandate that I never chose for myself.”

Kylo resisted the urge to go after his errant apprentice with his saber. _ “Chose _ . . .?” he repeated incredulously. “You could have been— _ should _ have been one of the strongest of us if you weren’t so Force-damned  _ lazy!” _

Caserian shrugged, completely unapologetic. “That was never an ambition of mine. I told you as much when you removed me from the Academy.”

Kylo remembered things quite differently as he cast a withering look. “The answer is ‘No’.”

The Knight glared at his master. “Why?”

Kylo tilted his head. “There is still greatness in you. I won’t allow you to throw everything away.”

Caserian sighed tiredly as though he’d expected this disappointment—as though  _ Kylo _ was the disappointment. “I’ve fulfilled your punishment, master—more than you bestowed!”

He had. The Knight had only been ordered to stay away a few years, but he’d kept his isolation far longer out of pure stubbornness. “Then return to us—return to  _ me . . . _ apprentice.”

The Knight shook his head again. “Why will you not understand? I don’t want to be a Knight! I don’t want to steal children—”

During Caserian’s tirade, Kylo felt his eyes narrow. Something . . . something was wrong with his apprentice. While Caserian had never enjoyed his punishment as a collector, he’d never cared enough—about  _ anything _ —to put up much of a fight either. Something had clearly changed for the younger man.

“What has happened?” he asked, cutting the Knight off.

Caserian blinked in confusion. “What?”

“I know you—I know you better than you know yourself and  _ something has happened. _ You would not stand before me asking for anything, much less your freedom if something hadn’t changed.”

His apprentice shook his head. “No. That’s not it—”

Kylo stepped closer. “Do not lie to me Caserian. You have always been so self-involved that unless you are affected directly, nothing would ever catch your attention. But something has, hasn’t it.” It wasn’t a question and Caserian would not meet his eyes, making Kylo all the more angry. “Or  _ someone,” _ he added.

The Knight seemed to shrink in on himself. “Please,” he said softly. “Release me and you’ll never hear from me again.”

Kylo approached his apprentice, his steps predatory. His apprentice had no need to break from the Knights for a mere lover, which meant that he did not think Kylo would approve of his choice. He circled the younger man and came to a stop behind him before leaning in. “I will not,” he whispered.

Caserian’s eyes slid shut and Kylo saw his hand twitch towards his saber, but he was not nearly fast enough to do anything before Kylo had a hand around his neck. The Supreme Ruler slammed his apprentice into the wall, pinning him there. Caserian did not try to claw at him as his airflow was restricted.

“You’ve neglected your training, apprentice,” he said easily. “Perhaps if you hadn’t acted like an errant child in need of correction, you might have had a chance to defeat me.”

Caserian said nothing, of course, merely glared at him as his cheeks turned red.

“What’s going on?” a tired voice asked from behind him.

Kylo turned and found 2187 watching them with a quizzical look on his face. “I’m carrying out a punishment, ‘87. Go back to sleep,” he said, using a bit of compulsion in the last sentences. ‘87 nodded before dropping off again and Kylo finally released Caserian. The Knight fell to the ground but he had far too much dignity to choke and gasp for breath.

Kylo turned away, but halted when the Knight’s rough voice sounded. “I am no longer a child and you have  _ never _ been my father,” he said.

The Supreme Ruler wanted to turn around and shake the  _ infant _ that even now struggled to his feet. He remembered the boy-child who’d been so miserable at the academy—remembered hearing the silent pleas for escape through the Force. He remembered lifting the dying boy out of that dark hole of despair, and carrying him away as a tear-stained face was buried in his robes.

Was that boy but a memory? Had it only been his own dream to see Caserian become the powerful lord that the Force had  _ promised _ him? No . . . perhaps his apprentice had simply not found the motivation to be rise above. But, he’d found the motivation to do  _ something, _ and that . . . Kylo could work with that. He would see just how far Caserian was willing to go for this newfound goal of his.

“I’ve a mission for you Caserian,” he said.

“I just told you—”

“I will give you your freedom if you complete it.”

That silenced the younger man and he heard Caserian swallow before asking, “What would you have me do?”

The Supreme Ruler smiled. “The light exemplar is within the empire. Find her.”

“Within . . . but she . . .?”

Kylo sat back down on the sofa and watched his apprentice. “I let my emotions cloud my judgment, and now the exemplar is running loose.”

The Knight’s eyes flickered with something and Kylo was tempted to go to him, to breach Caserian’s mind and find out everything that his apprentice held from his master. But to do so would undermine his goal of bringing Caserian back, and he would lose the Knight. He might have despised Caserian’s apathy, but his apprentice wasn’t even a hundred years old yet. There was still plenty of time for him to grow out of this rebelliousness.

Caserian turned to leave but paused when Kylo spoke again. “If you fail, you will return to me.”

The Knight swallowed but continued on and the door shut behind him. Kylo pulled ‘87 closer to him and rested his cheek on the officer’s head. His apprentice would fail, of course, and Kylo would not allow him to run anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a little extra time. This is actually a brand new chapter that I wanted to add to flesh out some of Caserian's history with the Knights and Kylo. Also, just in case it isn't clear, time moves differently on the other plane. I know I've said it a couple of times in the story, but I just wanted to reiterate it here that time does move more slowly there and years can pass in the space of a few hours in the real world.


	20. Chapter 20

_ Twenty minutes,  _ she thought. Twenty minutes until they arrived back at Takodana and the trip would be over. It also meant she only had twenty more minutes to call 2187, before she was prohibited. 

She bit her lip in uncertainty. She’d been thinking a lot lately about 2187—ever since the flash of his mind that she’d gotten in the other plane. She hadn’t been able to tell much about where he was, other than that he wasn’t on Ord Canfre, but he was with someone who was immersed in the dark side . . .

_ Was he really alright? _ she wondered. Could she risk calling him? Kord had assured her that the comm would be untraceable while they were in hyperspace, but then why was he with this dark Force-user? It had to be one of the Knights of Ren, but again . . .  _ why? _

She sat in front of the comm unit for a few more minutes before taking a steadying breath and typing in ‘87’s comm codes. If he was available, it would connect, no matter where he was. She waited as the connection was made and despite her trepidation, she could not help but smile broadly as he appeared before her.

“‘87, I’m so glad I caught you this time,” she said, deciding to err on the side of caution. Someone could be listening.

He grinned back at her. “Me too, Rey. How are you?” ‘87 asked.

2187 didn’t seem any different. His expression was open and inviting, just as it had always been. Rey remembered when Caserian had taken control of her body. It had been nothing like what she was seeing with 2187. 

“Really good! I’m finishing up that trip I told you about and we’ll be back at the commune soon,” she began hopefully.

“Yeah? That’s great, Rey I hope you had a good time,” he said and she caught a hint of anxiousness in his tone.

“It was . . . it was good, ‘87,” she said

“So . . . where exactly did you go?”

Rey leaned back in her chair a bit. “Oh, you know. Here and there. Wherever my ride needed to go.”

“Any place I’ve heard of?” he asked again and she narrowed her eyes

“Um . . . maybe . . .” Rey looked over towards the clock before looking back at ‘87. “Listen I’ve got to go but I’ll comm you in a couple of weeks, alright?” she said hurriedly.

“Rey—” he began but she shut the connection down and simply stared at the blank screen. Caserian had been right. Someone was after her and they had ‘87 now. The stormtrooper hadn’t seemed injured, but then would she really be able to tell? She didn’t even fully understand all the power that came with being a Force-user, much less a dark-sider.

Her fist clenched as the ship trembled a bit and dropped from hyperspace. The green and blue planet of Takodana came into view and she watched as the vessel came closer, flying over the streaks of land and sea as it headed for the landing pads outside of Maz’s bar.

She hadn’t seen the little sentient in a month and after everything with the other plane, Caserian, and now ‘87, she really needed to talk to someone who understood. Kord could only advise her so much when it came to the Force.

The ship landed with a slight thump and she got up. Her bags and supplies were already packed and ready to be carried off the ship, but Rey left them in her room. Kord was coming down the hall from the cockpit when Rey stepped out.

The twi’lek eyed her. “Happy to be back?” she asked diplomatically and Rey knew her friend was still walking on eggshells around her. 

Still, she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, sorry I had that . . . whatever that was—-”  _ Breakdown, _ Rey’s mind whispered.  _ The word you’re looking for is ‘breakdown’. _ “But that last batch of paintings was sort of cathartic, and I’m doing better now . . .”

Kord put a hand on her arm. “You know you can talk to me—about anything. I’m here,” she said and Rey smiled sadly. Kord had signed up to be her friend, not to have to deal with her seething pile of neuroses. 

But the twi’lek only tightened her hand. “My friendship isn’t conditional,” she said as though reading Rey’s mind. The Earth girl looked at her for a moment before nodding and Kord pulled her into a hug.

“Thanks,” Rey whispered.

“Every time,” Kord said in response before brushing a soft kiss over Rey’s lips. 

Rey swallowed and did her best to remember that kissing on the lips in twi’lek culture did not necessarily equal romantic intent, just a really close relationship. She smiled and returned the gesture making Kord laugh.

“Now you got it,” she said, looping her arm through Rey’s and the pair began walking towards the exit hatch.

“Do you mind if I meet you back at the commune? I want to talk to Maz real quick,” Rey asked as they neared the door.

Kord nodded. “Sure, I’ll have your stuff delivered to your place,” she said easily.

Rey reached into her pocket and pulled out her key-pad before handing it over. “Here. I’ll stop by your place when I get back.” She would need to re-program her lock later to accept her ID chip.

Kord took the pad before reaching over and hitting the switches to open the hatch. “You’ll need to get through Gilas first.”

Rey blinked. “Gilas? We just saw him last week.”

Kord turned to her and rolled her eyes. “Rey, do you not read your comuniques?”

She blinked again. “I mean—yes,  _ of course _ I do.” She didn’t. They always said the same thing. ‘One of your pieces sold, Your money’s been deposited. Keep it up.’

The twi’lek rolled her eyes skyward. “Force, Rey,” she began in exasperation. “Your ‘cathartic’ collection,  _ The Sun, Moon, and Stars _ —it was a hit . . .  _ a big one.” _

Rey was taken aback for a moment. That series was a limited one; only six paintings and were done when she’d been at her lowest, mentally, and they’d been rather monochromatic and dark—not at all like her usual style.

“Are you sure? I  _ just _ dropped them off,” she said in confusion.

Kord snorted out a laugh. “You think he made the trip out here just to pat you on the back?”

No, she supposed he wouldn’t. Gilas was all about time management, and he needed to be with a gallery and a commune to run. They stepped out onto the planet surface and sure enough Gilas was there beside one of the commune’s speeders.

“Hey Gilas,” she said casually.

“Hello Rey,” he said with a nod, though she could see his eyes darting about, no doubt looking to see if there would be any more paintings materializing from the ship.

“What can I do for you?”

He seemed to catch himself, “Well, I wanted to talk to you about your last collection and about perhaps moving on to the next stage of your career.”

She raised a brow and Kord was shooting her congratulatory looks. “Next stage?” she asked hesitantly

The chagrian nodded. “Well, I think you are finally established enough that we can work on introducing you to the public—”

That was the last thing she wanted. “I’d rather not.”

He held his hands up in mock surrender. “I know you value your privacy and I’m not talking about plastering your picture all over the holonet, but your last collection is already completely sold—”

“All of it?” she asked incredulously.

He nodded again, his eyes serious.  _ “All of it, _ and your clients are eager to make the acquaintance of the Artist.”

“Still using that name?” she asked.

Gilas shrugged. “I thought you’d prefer it, to be honest.”

He was right. Something generic like the Artist was harder to trace. “Can’t I just do some more paintings?” she asked, only a touch of whining in her tone.

He didn’t seem impressed. “Of course you can, but now  _ really _ is the time to start building your profile up among the people who are going to  _ pay _ for your talent. You want them to remember you and want  _ your _ work rather than the knock-offs that have been making their way into the market.”

Knock-offs . . . of her work. She tried to imagine such a thing, but in the end she shook her head. “Fine. When?”

“Next week,” he said before his eyes slid over to the twi’lek. “Kord told me you’ll only visit remote planets with a small population.”

“Yeah,” she said looking away. 

“Don’t worry Rey, we’ll keep you well away from the Knights,” Kord said encouragingly.

Gilas didn’t seem surprised by any of it and she supposed he wouldn’t be, after all she was painting people with lightsabers.

“I’ll take care of the arrangements and send a ship to pick you up next week,” he said, noting something down onto a datapad.

She turned to Kord. “Are you coming?”

The twi’lek shook her head. “No, I got a big order from that water princess so I’ll be sewing till my knuckles bleed.”

Rey raised a brow at Kord dramatics. The twi’lek didn’t actually sew anything besides the basic construction. She had a studio inside her massive house where she used over a dozen protocol droids to hand stitch everything that way. 

Gilas also looked at Kord. “I trust you’ll have something for her to wear.”

Kord laughed. “You think I would miss an opportunity to dress Rey for her big debut? Don’t worry, I’ve got her covered,” she said and he chagrian nodded.

Rey looked over towards Maz’s bar. “I need to stop into the bar real quick, but I’ll see you next week, alright?” she asked and Gilas nodded.

They said their goodbyes before going their separate ways. Rey enjoyed the walk to the palace—the green of the jungle and the sounds of the birds and water-ways that covered the planet. She nodded at many of the pilots that frequented the landing pads and waved at a few of the regulars. Maz’s grand palace looked the same as it always had—as it probably had for the last few centuries. The doors opened easily and she stepped inside the welcoming, albeit noisy bar. There was quite the crowd going and music bounced around the space. She looked around for a few seconds before finally spotting an empty table. Rey didn’t order anything and simply waited for Maz to eventually come to her.

“You know, at some point you will need to find yourself a true teacher,” Maz said from behind her.

Caserian’s face flashed in her mind. She might not harbor any ill-will towards the Knight anymore, but she still remembered his invasive actions quite vividly. “I don’t want anyone rooting around in my head,” she said as she watched the tiny sentient hop up into the chair opposite her.

Maz wasn’t put off. “You stop that from happening by learning from someone skilled in defense—but you know that already, don’t you?”

Rey was well aware that  _ if _ she wanted to learn more or become stronger she would certainly need someone to teach her, but the point that no one ever seemed to grasp was that she  _ didn’t _ want to learn more about the Force—or any of it.

She changed the subject. “I’ve been visiting the plane often like you showed me and looking for Poe, and I think that I . . . I made myself vulnerable to the darkness there. I had this—this dream about . . . well it doesn’t matter who it was about, but when I woke up things were  _ floating through the air _ and ever since then . . .”

“What?” Maz asked gently.

Rey looked around before pointing at a spice shaker on the table. She didn’t have to concentrate hard before the thing slid across the surface towards Maz.

The little sentient pushed it around with her mind as well before smiling and looking back up at Rey. “Well, now, you  _ are _ progressing. I’m impressed.”

Rey grimaced. “I don’t want you to be impressed, because that’s not even the important part.”

“Then what is?”

She bit her lip, hesitant to even put into words what she’d been feeling. “Since the dream, I—I can feel something in my mind. It’s cold and dark and it keeps trying to latch on to my consciousness . . . my thoughts.”

The sentient nodded. “We all have darkness within our minds—”

“That is  _ not _ what I’m talking about, and you  _ know _ it.”

Maz tilted her head but didn’t seem offended. “What is it that you’d like me to do about it?” she finally asked.

Rey sighed. “I know—I know you can’t just fix it, but there has to be a way to push it back out—to block it from ever coming back.”

The little sentient shook her head. “I do not think you will ever be rid of it now, child. It is part of you. The other half of you.”

On the list of things she  _ hadn’t _ wanted to hear during this conversation, that was just about at the top. “I’m not ready for that,” she said honestly, and she wasn’t. It was all just too much, too fast.

Maz reached over and gently patted her hand. “I’m sorry I can’t help you, Rey, but I think I can help you a bit more with your search instead,” she said gently

Rey looked up, “You can?”

She nodded. “Your connection to the Force is much stronger than it was the last time you were here.  _ The Knight _ opened your mind, and now it can handle learning something new.” Maz leaned forward and removed her goggles, “Look into my eyes, child.”

Rey did and felt the thread of connection between she and Maz tighten. “What is that?” she asked in confusion as images—memories that weren’t hers—passed through her mind.

“That is me. Follow the thread back and enter my mind.”

Rey’s eyes did not blink as she leaned forward over the table. “I can—I can  _ feel _ you.”

The little sentient nodded. “Yes . . . Now tell me my thoughts.”

Rey searched through Maz’s mind and picked up not only her thoughts but also things the other wanted her to  _ know. _

“You—you think I’m important for some reason but you won’t reveal why,” she said softly, sadly.

“Because you aren’t ready for that responsibility. Not yet,” Maz said as she pulled away from the connection and Rey slumped back into her chair.

“I don’t want to be important,” she mumbled almost petulantly and Maz laughed.

“Child, the Force—your destiny—is calling to you. Just let it in.”

Rey shook her head. “I’m not interested in this being a mouthpiece for the Force. Let someone else do it,” she said as she got up.

“Rey—”

But Rey didn’t hear anymore as she walked away and left the bar. As she approached the doors, she was so consumed with her own thoughts that she did not notice them open before her as if by their own volition.

* * *

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know what happened,” 2187 said, looking anywhere but at the Supreme Ruler.

Kylo came around the comm unit and eyed his new ensign. “She knew something was wrong and now she will be wary of you.”

“My apologies,” the other man said before getting up.

The Supreme Ruler sighed. He’d been so close—he’d _ heard her voice, _ but he had no way of getting to her. Any overt move on his part was sure to send her scuttling deeper into hiding. “Get out of that armor and report back, ‘87,” Kylo said firmly.

The officer nodded and left the room just as Hux was entering. He’d have watched the whole thing from the adjacent room.

The general was not well known for his patience. “We should circulate her picture through the empire and flush her out,” he said firmly.

Kylo shook his head. “No. If it is known that she is important to us, one of our enemies might get to her first—And I won’t have her branded a criminal, either.”

Hux grimaced. “It will be far more difficult to find her if no one is looking for her.”

The Knight turned away. “We have time, general. The exemplar is alive and in good health—and she is within my domain.”

“And how long before you begin wearing your mask again?” Hux asked almost sneering at the idea.

A smug grin that was all teeth pulled at his lips. “I’m  _ inside _ her now. Her mind brushed mine and I am with her always as she is with me. It’s how I know she’s still alive. I will give her time to enjoy the empire. It will make the transition easier.”

Hux smiled mischievously. “Yes, ideally you and she will have a better go of it the second time around, and you won’t be in the med bay screaming your head off.”

“I did not—” Kylo started loudly before cutting himself off and beginning again in a more controlled tone, “I did not  _ scream. _ And if you think it’s so amusing, I’ll procure more of that hellish liquid from her planet and you can give it a try.”

“I’ll pass on that, thank you,” Hux said, his voice deadpan.

Kylo snorted. “You would refuse a gift from your ruler?”

“Only if I am unworthy, great one,” the general said with an exaggerated bow. The door slid open again to reveal 2187 back in his officer’s uniform. Hux took that as his cue. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a raid to plan,” he said before adding. “And do not forget to comm my mother. She misses you.”

Kylo sighed. He really did need to make an appearance at Lady Hux’s next gala. He’d intended to see her next with the light exemplar on his arm, but unless Reyna magically fell into his lap in the next few weeks, he would be showing up empty-handed after being gone for a year. It was seemingly the bane of the lady’s existence that neither Kylo nor her own son, Armitage were married.

He put the whole thing from his mind as he looked over at 2187. Kylo pulled off his glove and tilted his head. “Come here,” he said to the young officer.

2187 hesitated only a fraction of a second before moving forward. He knew the ex-’trooper still felt guilt for what he was doing, as though it was a betrayal of the light exemplar, but Kylo was quick to reassure him. How could it be a betrayal to assist the one person who cared about Reyna more than any other?

Kylo allowed his pleasure at 2187’s decision to be felt by him and the corners of the officer’s mouth turned up slightly. When he was close, Kylo reached up and rested his hand on the other man’s cheek and temple. He allowed himself to take a deep breath and for his eyes to slide shut as he entered 2187’s mind. The Supreme Ruler sifted through the memories, searching for his favorite.

“‘87, this can’t be how you want to spend your day off,” she said as she stroked a crude brush over her wall. She was crouched on the floor, painting in the delicate purple flowers from her memory. Her hair was tied back into three little buns and there was paint smudged on her forehead from where she had wiped her brow. Music played from a small device in the window sill and she bobbed her head to the beat every once in awhile.

“I like watching you paint,” 2187 responded and he did, apparently as many of his memories were of just the two of them keeping one another company while she painted. It wasn’t an interesting memory or noteworthy except for one thing—she smiled more here than in any other.

He stayed within the memory for what felt like hours and he indulged in the fantasy that it was Kylo that she smiled at and not the ex-’trooper. The Supreme Ruler eventually had to pull away and 2187 nearly collapsed on the floor. Kylo caught him and gently lowered the semi-conscious man onto a sofa in the back of the room. It was taking less and less time for ‘87 to recover from these connections as his mind built up a tolerance. Kylo was careful not to take it too far, though, and 2187 took slow even breaths as he blinked back into the waking world. 

Kylo put his glove back on before sitting beside the other man. “Thank you . . . my friend.”

The ex-trooper nodded minutely and Kylo sat there with him until he was recovered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I managed to get this up on time! I'm out of school for the next few weeks so hopefully I can get things up on Fridays again, at least for a while. Sorry I know this chapter is kinda filler, but I needed to establish some stuff here before the next couple of chapters so you wouldn't be like, "wtf, when did that happen?" 
> 
> And even though, I'm too embarrassed to ask, I mentally based Rey's new collection on the works of [Winterofherdiscontent](http://winterofherdiscontent.tumblr.com/tagged/my-art). Her Reylo and other TFA art is stunning.
> 
> I did also want to add that we're about half-way through the story(text wise), at least according to the scroll-bar on my google-doc that I'm writing in.


	21. Chapter 21

Rey kept the smile pasted onto her face as she spoke to Lady Poldek. It wasn't that she was unhappy to be speaking to the first lady of Doldur, but more that her face was hurting after three hours.

_I thought people just came to these to look at the art, eat the food, feel good about themselves and leave,_ she thought. Perhaps that's how it was on Earth, but everyone here wanted to talk to Rey, and they all diligently waited their turn to speak to her one after another. They still ate the food and drank the booze, and probably still felt good about themselves, but she was running low on steam at this point, because they all seemed to tell her the same thing and ask the same questions.

Lady Poldek was no different. She had been one of the first people to get one of Rey's paintings. One of her original Lover's Series— _The Wedding,_ she'd named it. It was a larger piece, but apparently the lady of Doldur had not been able to get her hands on another painting since.

"Really, my husband has been so lax on Doldur's annexation so I can't always come to Coruscant to get any new pieces," she said pitifully, before smiling, "But if perhaps you could convince Gilas to sent out missives ahead of time, I could make arrangements."

Rey's brows shot up. "Unfortunately, I have no say in how Gilas runs the gallery. I just provide the art," she said.

"Oh drat," the woman said.

"And beside," another voice cut in, "You wouldn't want to damage the gallery's reputation by having them play favorites, now would you Vinda?"

Rey looked to the side, as did Lady Poldek and they were not the only ones to stare at the newest guest to their little gathering. She didn't recognize the blonde woman right off hand, but that wasn't exactly rare. She had a look of quiet tranquility on her face as a servant pulled her crushed velvet cape away to reveal a lovely floor-length floral gown that flowed over her like water.

  
  
Lady Margolin Hux

"Lady Hux," Gilas stuttered out from behind them and Rey blinked at the familiar name. This was the woman that Kord had spoken about—one of Kylo Ren's allies and the person who had financed his first fleet of ships. She moved forward, bringing a stark physical contrast between herself and the other attendees. Not only was her stature regal, but her embellished gown would have looked like she was trying too hard on anyone else, but it just looked like a second skin on Lady Margolin Hux.

Rey had, at first felt more than a bit out of place with her own sheer gown brushing the ground around her ankles, while the other ladies had on tea or knee-length dresses, but Kord's words sprung up in her mind and she suddenly understood.

She had been looking at the dress with more than a touch of trepidation. "Kord, this is too much. Even _I_ know no one wears long dresses," she'd said.

But the twi'lek had shaken her head. " _Trust me,_ long dresses are about to become _the_ thing," she'd said.

_Was one woman really capable of moving trends like that?_ Rey couldn't be sure, but Vinda Poldek looked like she would have rather been consumed by rathtars than find herself in the cross-hairs of the elegant Lady Hux.

"Of course, not, Lady Hux. My apologies for the misunderstanding." Lady Poldek turned to Rey abruptly. "I'm afraid I've had a bit too much champagne and need some air. It was lovely to meet you and I hope to buy another of your pieces at a later date."

With that she'd scurried off, leaving Rey blinking in her wake as Lady Hux came to her side.

"What a curious creature," she said and Rey's gaze moved back to meet the lady's. _She hadn't been talking about Lady Poldek._

Rey swallowed and she could see all the other guests attempting to look like they were talking to one another while practically leaning in the hear whatever was being said. Gilas's blue skin had gone pale as he made agitated faces from the back of the room.

Alright, so Lady Hux was just that important.

A dark-haired young man dressed in slightly over-done finery stood with her, and at first Rey had thought this was another servant, but then the man had put an arm around the lady's waist and Rey flashed back to Kord's talk about the blonde woman's new lover. She'd said that the he was younger than Lady Hux's son, Armitage. Though Lady Hux didn't look older than her early thirties and her lover looked roughly the same age, so how one could tell was beyond Rey.

"I'm pleased you could attend my showing," she said instead of addressing the lady's earlier statement.

A slow smiled formed on the woman's face. "Well I simply _had_ to come when I heard that you were . . . human. Gilas has never worked with a human artist before," she said, her eyes gliding over Rey's form and Rey could feel . . . appreciation coming from her.

She took a steadying breath. "Yes, I—I was surprised about that as well to find out it wasn't common."

This caused the lady to blink. "You mean you didn't know?"

Rey shook her head. "I'm actually from a planet outside the empire. We haven't even left our system yet."

"Then how, may I ask, did you come to be here?" Lady Hux asked, her eyes searching and interested.

"That's kind of a long story," Rey said, hedging just as Gilas had told her to.

The lady's brows rose as she smiled. "Ah, and we haven't time for such things here, I suppose. Well, if I'm not mistaken, your gown is one of Kord Mondrechia's."

  
  
Rey's Gallery Gown | Shopping Outfit

Rey blinked at the abrupt change in conversation. "Yes—yes it is."

Lady Hux tilted her head consideringly. "The last time I saw Kord, she told me her friend Rey was traveling with her. That was you, I assume."

Rey nodded, unsure.

The lady nodded as though she'd already known the answer to her own question . . . and perhaps she had. "Well, Kord will be coming to visit my home in two months time. I hope you will accompany her and then you can tell me _all about it."_

Rey got the distinct impression that this wasn't a request. "I will do my very best—"

"Of course you will, and I would have you meet my son, Armitage. He visited me last week, and I was . . . quite surprised that he seemed rather taken with your work."

_Oh . . ._

"Well, I would be honored, of course—" Rey began diplomatically while internally screaming that there was _no way_ she was going anywhere near a warmonger like Armitage Hux—or more specifically, his kidnapper douchebag of an apparent best friend.

"Yes, I expect so," Lady Hux said, cutting Rey off, before her expression turned considering. "Have you a lover?"

Rey, who had been strategically taking a drink of her champagne, promptly choked on the liquid, and she let out a rather unlady-like cough. She blinked rapidly, looking for _someone_ to get her out of this situation, but Gilas looked like he was having a stroke and no one else would dare interrupt Lady Hux's conversation.

"I—I mean . . . I don't?" The last part came out as more of a questions and she cursed herself for not just blurting out a name— _any name._

"Ah, wonderful news," the woman said, nodding to her own lover who inclined his head in acknowledgement as though some great question had been answered satisfactorily. Her smile widened as she looked back at Rey. "Anyway, I simply had to come and meet you in person. I have several of your works and would love to discuss them with you, as well as perhaps . . . commissioning other pieces," she said.

Rey was hardly surprised at the request. Lady Hux wasn't even the first person to bring it up at the party and so she smiled benignly. "I look forward to the conversation, but if you have any inquiries about my art, Gilas would be the person to speak to."

Lady Hux raised a perfect brow before letting out a small laugh like a bell. "Don't worry, my dear. Your agent will get his cut," she said before walking off towards the chagrian.

Rey felt herself slump a bit, but quickly righted her posture as the other guests hesitantly moved forward to once again attempt to speak with her. She watched as Lady Hux spoke to Gilas and the chagrian seemed to sweat inordinately as the interaction went on. Rey did her best to ignore what was going on and instead returned her focus to the people she was speaking to.

The hours continued to pass and she traded champagne for flavored water, and while there was slight fanfare when Lady Hux finally left, most drifted out slowly but surely. Rey smiled and thanked them all for coming.

"Did that go well?" she asked after the last one had left.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "I had not been sure what exactly would happen when your species was revealed, but you received Lady Hux's approval so it won't matter what anyone else thinks. You're set for life."

Was it really that easy? "Does she _really_ have that much power?"

Gilas inclined his head. "More than you would think. She has the ear of the Supreme Ruler and heads one of the wealthiest and best connected families in the empire. She's practically an institution within the galaxy all by herself. The Huxes have their hands in all the pies," he said.

"And she came _here?"_ Rey asked, eyeing the small, but private little gallery that Gilas had chosen. They were currently on Togoria, a relatively untouched planet, lacking in the mega cities found on the core worlds, but rich in culture and their art scene was one of the best.

"I . . . I hadn't expected that, to be honest. I'd invited her of course, but Lady Hux rarely goes anywhere. Things come to her."

Rey had thought as much. "She asked me to come to her home in two months."

He nodded. "Yes, she mentioned as much to me. She also wants you to paint a portrait of her son."

"Her son?" She hadn't really thought to doing those sorts of commissions. There was a difference between true portrait art and her more stylistic aesthetic.

"She's willing to pay you ten thousand credits," he said and Rey nearly dropped her glass.

"Ten thousand?" she asked incredulously.

"That would be going to you. The full amount is twenty, which is quite reasonable, given the current prices associated with an 'Artist Original'."

Rey tried to imagine such a number. Twenty thousand was nearly enough to buy a decent ship all on its own and to drop that much on her art . . .

"Don't get that look on your face. Your work is famous the galaxy over and people will only pay what they think something is worth, and it's worth that to quite a few people."

Her lips curled up. "Thanks," she said and he nodded.

"Did you still want to go to the market?"

She nodded. "Of course. I need to buy a few new pigments, and besides, this festival looks fun."

_Kylo Ren sure loved to throw a party for himself,_ she thought wryly. Well, perhaps that was a bit disingenuous as this was Togoria's own Celebration of Victory. The small cities that dotted the planet were in full party mode in honor of the liberation of their planet by the Supreme Ruler over the Yuuzhan Vong. She hadn't gotten far into that section on Caladon's data-pads, but from what she remembered coupled with what Kord had told her, an extragalactic species attempted to invade a few centuries back soon after Kylo took power over a group called the First Order. The Republic had fallen but the Order, lead by Kylo and the Knights of Ren coupled with an armada of ships built by the Huxes had succeeded in pushing the invaders back and out of the galaxy. Planets had flocked to the protection of the Order and the Correllian Empire had been born.

It was hard for Rey to imagine such a thing. Two hundred years ago, most people in her own country hadn't even had indoor plumbing or electricity. And Lady Hux—the same elegant _young_ woman who had stood before her only hours ago, had had a decisive hand in the creation of a _galactic empire._

Rey watched the goings-on of the people outside the small gallery space, and smiled at the idea that no matter what day it was, there seemed to always be a party _somewhere_ in the empire. The last week, she had painted a few more pieces but the most important thing on her mind was finding Earth. Rey reached out through the Force for her brother constantly, and he always seemed so close but something was blocking her. She didn't know if it was herself or if the Force felt that she wasn't ready to return.

She hadn't spoken to 2187 since that disastrous comm call, and Rey had contemplated going after her friend, finding him, perhaps rescuing him from whatever situation he'd found himself in. But as quickly as the idea had surfaced in her mind, it had faltered as well. She was not versed in any kind of subterfuge or weapons-use. '87 was an excellent fighter and leader. What could she possibly do to help him? She hoped he would forgive her but she could not take the chance that she would be pulled further from her goal. She was so close.

Rey sighed as she tried to put 2187 from her mind and attempted to stifle the guilt that welled up every time she pictured his face. Suddenly she felt like she was running out of air and she turned to Gilas.

"I need to get out of this dress," she said as she looked down at the gown she wore. Kord had really outdone herself, if Lady Hux's appraising glance was anything to go by. It was perhaps a bit more revealing than she was used to, but Kord had told her it was the height of Corellian Fashion to take pride in one's body. She had pulled her hair into her usual three buns descending down the back of her head and smoothed away the wispy curls. A few cosmetics were applied to complete her look with pinker lips and cheeks.

"Are you alright?" Gilas asked with a hand on her shoulder. His face was awash with concern and she did her best to smile and nod.

"I'm fine. Just need to get into something else and get some air," she said encouragingly.

Gilas nodded and the pair walked to the back room. "Kord sent along something . . . less flashy for you to wander about it."

More likely, the twi'lek had worried about the delicate lace of the gown being shredded as Rey walked through a crowded public market. She smiled though, and took the box he held out for her and went into the backroom of the gallery. The colorful gown slid off and was hung back up in the garment bag. What she found to replace it had her raising a brow. Oh it was less flashy, but what it lacked in loud prints and colors, it made up for austere design.

Rey didn't even bother shaking her head as she pulled the heavier clothing on and tucked everything into place. The Earth girl pulled a bag from her things that she could easily transport her purchases and walked out of the room. Gilas waited for her outside and he held out an arm for her and she took it with a smile. Rey wasn't terribly worried about anything happening but she'd never been to this planet before, and Kord had warned her that it could be a little rough around the edges.

"Ready to go?" he asked, taking the bag from her.

"Yes. Thank you again."

"It is my pleasure, my dear," the chagrian said with a short inclination of his head.

They walked through the stalls and Rey found a few different pigments that she was interested in trying. She also got the contact information for the vendors who had the best stuff. Gilas was never far from her, his horns making him easy to spot in the crowd. Rey was beside herself at everything there was to see.

Humans and sentients milled about, talking and laughing under the blue and green string lights that criss crossed all the streets. Colorful banners hung down from the roofs of many of the squat buildings proclaiming that this was a celebration for all. This was not her first festival—Kord seemed to thrive on them—but the atmosphere of these intergalactic celebrations never failed to get her heart racing.

They walked down the crowded street looking through shops and in windows. A few hours in, Rey was about to pass a junk shop when she stopped and turned towards the dark doorway. Something . . . something was _there._ The shop was off the main street and down towards the end of a side alley. She began walking forward as if being lead by the hand.

Gilas wrapped his fingers around her arm, stopping her. His brow was furrowed at her glazed over expression. "Rey, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine. There is something in there that I need," she said softly before turning back to face the shopfront.

He also looked towards it. "You want to go in _there?"_

She blinked several times before nodding. "Yes."

Gilas looked uncomfortable but didn't stop her again as she began walking towards the little shop at the end of the dirty alley. A faded sign over the entrance proclaimed the shop to be Bup's Antiques and Artifacts. The door didn't immediately slide open when she stood before it and it took her a second to realize that it was an old fashioned door with a swing hinge like they had on Earth. It had a curved top that hit a small chime as it opened.

The shop was musty and filled to the brim with items that even Rey could see had little value. But none of that mattered, really. She walked along the tight aisles of the small shop, her hand out and hovering over the cases and piles—for what purpose she still didn't know.

Until she stopped. She looked down towards the bottom of a dark and dusty display case. It was _there._

Unmindful of what could be hiding under the case, she got down on her knees and stuck her bare hand into the dark space, her fingers feeling around through cobwebs and rubbish. It was there, she _knew_ it was. She blinked into the darkness and could see the dull shine of something just beyond her reach. Her eyes narrowed and, in a small cloud of dust, the item launched itself into her hand.

Rey smiled in satisfaction as a small luggage trunk slid out from under the case. It was old with cracked leather and rusted hardware. She knelt down before it and felt around the sides until she found the crude locking mechanism and released it. The trunk did not snap open and she had to lift it up to see inside.

Thankfully nothing was _living_ in it. Her eyes moved over the junk that filled the small space. This . . . this couldn't be right. She brushed aside a few old books and worthless trinkets as she searched. Just as she was about to give up, her hand brushed against a cloth sack. _This!_ This was what she wanted!

Rey pulled the sack out from the trunk. The bag was falling apart at the seams but she could see that the cloth had a beautiful design embroidered on it. Geometric lines that ran along its length interspersed with scrolling flourishes that all came together at the center where a circular emblem of a star was cradled within a set of wings. It was nearly beyond repair but the detail work might be worth saving.

But the little sack wasn't what she had come for. She opened the top and allowed the item it carried to fall into her hand. It was a slightly curved cylinder of metal but it had a grip made of a material she could not readily identify. There was a scrolling pattern etched into the metal portions and it was solid on one side and hollow on the other. Unlike everything else in the shop, this item looked to be in pristine condition.

  
  
Lightsaber design ©[Ariergarda](http://ariergarda.deviantart.com/art/Lightsaber-v-6-Elven-168261941)  


Gilas stood behind her eyeing the object. "What _is_ that?" he asked.

Rey closed the trunk and slid it back under the case before standing back up. "I don't know," she said honestly, but she had to have it.

The emblem on the sack reminded her of the imperial emblem with the wings but it was clearly not the same. Her fingers slid over the polished surface of the object and she tried her best to figure out why the Force wanted her to have this. Was she drawn to Togeria specifically to retrieve this?

Her fist clenched at the idea. How much free will did she really have, she wondered. Was everything an elaborate play and she was just a puppet dangling on a set of strings?

"Are you planning to buy something or just stand around?" a voice called from the back of the shop.

Rey blinked and contemplated dropping the object back into the rubbish and leaving. Her fingers trembled as she tried to let go of it. Her brow furrowed with effort. No, the object was hers. It was meant to belong to Rey. She could see Gilas in her periphery looking on in concern and she sighed before walking quickly to the back sales counter. A sentient that she recognized as a gran stood behind the counter looking towards her expectantly. She placed the object down on the counter.

"I want to buy this," she said briskly.

The gran did something of a double take at the object. He picked it up almost reverently. "You _found_ this?"

Rey nodded. "Yes and I want to purchase it."

The gran looked at her dubiously through its three eyes. "Surely a pretty girl like you wouldn't want something so dangerous," he said and she would have been offended if not for the searching look in his eyes.

_Still_ . . . "Dangerous?" she asked eyeing the object again.

The gran's head tilted. "Girl, do you even know what this is?" he asked.

She blinked before shaking her head. "No," she said honestly. If it really was dangerous, better to know what it was.

"And yet you want it. It . . . _called_ to you?" the gran asked looking her over critically before his gaze slid to Gilas with suspicion.

Rey narrowed her eyes. "Will you sell it to me or not?"

The shop owner smiled. "Of course I will, this is a place of business after all. But I feel I should at least tell you what it is and how to use it lest you accidentally kill yourself or someone else."

He turned the cylinder over in his hand before pressing down over a raised area near the hollowed-out side. He held it away from himself and Rey, but she still flinched as it flared to life with blue light. A low humming noise emanated from the weapon that she recognized with a sinking feeling.

The gran was watching her, his three eyes never leaving her face. "You've seen one before," he said with surety.

It wasn't quite the same as Kylo Ren's. That one had been a fiery red and the . . . beam had crackled like the sun. This one was smooth, elegant, and glowed with an icy shade of blue.

"Lightsabers are created in the image of their masters," the shop owner said as though reading her mind.

"Lightsabers?" Gilas echoed from behind her and she heard him take a step back.

The gran smiled and seemed to enjoy how uncomfortable Gilas was. "This lightsaber was created and used by a Jedi Knight and is strong with the light side of the Force which is why it is blue."

She was almost mesmerized by the beautiful weapon and the longer she looked upon it, the more sure she became that she was meant to have it. But even through that, she could not help but ask, "And red? What about if the saber is red?"

"Red lightsabers are created by those who have given themselves to the darkside."

"They're evil?" she asked.

"No, girl . . . Not always, they simply follow a different path from the Jedi."

Gilas spoke up from behind her. "Rey, trust me you don't want any part of this. It's one thing to have some Force-sensitivity, but owning a _lightsaber_ . . . and one from the Jedi as well—that will draw attention to you that you _don't_ want."

Gilas was afraid, she could sense it curling from him in waves and she turned to reassure him. "I'm not going to go waving it around on Corellia and pretending to be some religious follower of the Jedi. I just . . . I _need_ that lightsaber."

Gilas didn't look happy but he didn't argue any further with her. Rey was well aware of her value to the commune and knew the other man would not force her out unless he had too. She smiled at her blue friend before turning back to the gran.

"How much?" she asked.

The shop owner powered the weapon down and placed it on the counter over the sad little sack it had come in. "Two hundred credits," he said evenly.

Her eyes widened. It was a lot of money.

"Don't look so surprised, girl. After the Jedi were destroyed almost all of their weapons were as well. Very few lightsabers remain and the only way to make them is a secret among the Force-users. And I'll throw this in for good measure, cause I like you."

He pulled out a book from beneath the counter. It was not large or thick but it was quite old and she hadn't seen many around. Paper goods were all but extinct and most people used data pads.

"The Jedi archives were destroyed but this is a journal kept by one of the padawans who died during the purge and he talks about the training he went through while learning. It may help you," he said, placing it on the counter.

She bit her lip but nodded and the gran held out a scanner with the amount listed on the bottom. She waved her hand over the small panel and checked her comm. It registered the 200 credit withdrawal.

The gran nodded and did not wrap up the lightsaber or book. He simply handed them over to her. She placed the items into her own bag and hesitated for a few seconds before letting go of the saber.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the gran said with a smile.

She nodded. "Thank you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just cause I know you guys will ask, that isn't Anakin's lightsaber. I know it would have been so easy to have her find that lightsaber in Maz's basement, but when I thought about it in the context of this story, it just didn't fit logically. I don't know how much of it will be explored later, but the dark exemplar wouldn't have had blue saber. His or hers would have been purple at best and it definitely wouldn't have called to the light exemplar. 
> 
> Have a Happy Holiday!


	22. Chapter 22

Kylo’s eyes slid open as he withdrew from the other plane. When he’d been informed that Reyna was visiting there often in search of something, he’d hardly believed it. Her end of their shared thread was still very much tangled within knot of the galaxy, but she was there nonetheless. He could not see her, of course—could not say anything to her, and she did not seem to notice his presence as he kept his distance. But there was one other there as well—the only one she allowed close to her. _Caserian,_ Kylo’s wayward apprentice. He hadn’t heard from the younger man since their very brief meeting all those months ago, and the Supreme Ruler had had half a mind to reassign the Knights to tracking the apprentice after Reyna was found and secured on Corellia.

Though, it seemed that that was a moot point. With the way the apprentice clung to her presence, he would follow the light exemplar and return to Corellia without Kylo having to lift a finger. She seemed comfortable with the apprentice which would only help when Kylo came for her. She would have ‘87 and Caserian with her to keep her company . . . and to protect her.

 _She was searching for Earth_ , he thought gleefully. Someone had taught her how to access the Force plane and she was searching for her planet in the same manner that Kylo had employed to track her down the first time. He had several Knights working constantly, sorting through the threads of the galaxy in search of her. It was a nearly impossible feat to find her until she returned to her home world, but he had been keeping an eye on the cluster of that planet. Reyna could hide for months, _years_ within his empire but when she returned to Earth—when their shared thread separated from the core galactic knot and rejoined with that backwater world, he would have her again.

He would not cease in his search, but in the end, there was no escape for the light exemplar and she would be handing herself back over to him with her own actions. In the meantime, there was still work to be done. The Resistance had gone noticeably silent since being soundly dispatched from a border planet they’d tried to occupy.

Kylo picked picked up the datapad and looked it over for a second time.  It was part of their pattern to cease activity in preparation for a major assault. Hux had just finished securing Lhwekk and he was already on his way to Kylo’s office to make his official report.

The Supreme Ruler felt his eyes involuntarily slide over the Reyna’s tablet. Its flowery covering stood in stark contrast to the greys and glass of his office. It sat so innocently and yet it threw accusations at him with every glance. She should be _here_ —or at least living without cares or worries within the Imperial Palace. The tablet should be _with_ her, not sitting on his desk like pastel brick.

He glided a darkly gloved finger over the cover, lightly tracing the designs as he thought over the secrets contained within. It was a struggle every day not to use the information that he’d gotten from 2187’s mind. He could open it—see everything and _know_ her.

But to do such a thing . . . he was unsure if it was the right thing to do.

The door chimed and he pulled his hand away as he looked up. “Enter,” he called and the door slid open.

Hux stepped inside, his shoulders covered by his great black coat and his requisition hat in place. He saluted, as was required during duty meetings and Kylo waved him away. Hux removed the coat and hat, handing them off to the wall droid.

The room was quiet for a moment and then Hux spoke. “You’re brooding again,” he said as he turned back around to face the Knight.

Kylo snorted. “I’m hardly brooding. Merely . . . thoughtful,” he said, his eyes still on the tablet. Hux shook his head as he came to the desk and sat down after Kylo made a gesture.

“What’s the status on Lhwekk?” he asked, as his attention was placed completely on the general.

Hux gave a short nod. “We’ve restored order and the monarch is back in control of the planet. I’ve left the fifth division fleet in the sector to safeguard the planet for now.”

It was a good start but not a permanent solution. “We can’t leave an entire division out there,” Kylo said and Hux nodded again before producing a datapad and handing it over.

The Knight read it over as Hux spoke. “Monarch Hawdrick submitted a request for an imperial outpost station to be built within their system. Considering the circumstances, it is not a terrible idea to acquiesce.” Lhwekk was one of the more isolated worlds in the empire and far more vulnerable to attack both by the Resistance and outsiders.

“Did he submit a budget for construction?” Kylo asked as he paged through the data.

The general shook his head. “No, but he did give me this to pass on to you in person,” Hux said, handing over a second smaller pad.

Kylo had to use his ID chip to activate this one and his eyes widened as he looked over the contents.

“What is it?” Hux asked anxiously.

The Supreme Ruler was silent for a beat before answering. “Just before the insurgency, there was a discovery made of a deposit of churcopt in an asteroid field two systems away.” Kylo said

“I wasn’t notified of this,” Hux said and Kylo shook his head.

“Hawdrick hushed it up. He did not even want to risk sending a coded transmission with the Resistance converging just outside their borders. He hid the data until the planet could be liberated, and he’s asked that we commission a refinery and permanent ship construction station in the sector.”

Being so far afield, Lhwekk had never been the most economically stable planet when it came to imports and exports through the empire. There was very little capital being sent in and more was going out. Hawdrick would be frothing at the mouth to have an shipyard in the sector as they would create jobs for his people and bring much needed credits into his planet’s economy.

Hux sighed. “The monarch was nearly executed by the insurgents, he was locked up for months in his own dungeons unless he was being paraded in chains and rags before his people.”

Kylo gritted his teeth. What had happened on Lhwekk was a failure on many levels. Kylo rarely felt like he owed anyone anything, but the Monarch had stood with the empire even as the Resistance humiliated he and his people until they could be rescued. He’d hidden this data and turned it over when it was safe. A churcopt refinery was one of the most heavily guarded structures that could be built and that, in addition to a shipyard, would ensure a massive imperial presence in the vicinity of Lhwekk. No one would dare attack the planet again.

It was an easy decision. “Have our engineers draw up standard plans for the station and refineries,” he paused before continuing to speak. “Mitaka has a background in structural engineering. Have him oversee the project and coordinate with Lhwekk to get it up and running immediately.”

Hux nodded. “As you wish,” he said, noting Kylo’s order down on another pad.

Kylo leaned back and watched his closest friend and ally for a moment. “Have you commed your mother recently?” Kylo asked casually.

The general didn’t look up. “I spoke to her yesterday. She has another girl for me to meet at her next gala,” he said indifferently.

Kylo snorted. It was an argument older than the empire itself. “Another one? I have to hand it to Margolin. She doesn’t give up,” he said.

Hux shook his head in irritation. “I make _one_ stars-damned comment about her new painting—”

 _“What painting?”_  Kylo asked quickly, but Hux shook his head.

“I saw it in person. It’s nothing like the ones you showed me from Ord Canfre. It’s dark with little color and there were no Force-users. I did check into it though. Since your exemplar made such a splash, other artists have begun sprouting up hoping to cash in on the trend,” he said and Kylo felt himself deflate.

“It was different?” he asked hesitantly.

The general nodded. “Quite. There was not the act of motion as though it were a snapshot of people living their lives. This one more of a posed silhouette of two people wrapped in a painfully beautiful embrace. I quite liked it and now the Lady Hux has managed to track down the artist. Mother didn’t tell me her name but really, if she were the exemplar, do you think my _mother_ would have found her when your Knights had not?”

It was a fair point. “When we visit, I would see the painting for myself.” It was probably nothing, after all, he’d seen actual _copies_ of Reyna’s paintings. Dead end after dead end, but Kylo would make certain.

Hux inclined his head. “Of course, and you can do that mind trick of yours to get rid of mother’s latest attempt,” he said derisively.

The Supreme Ruler laughed. “Why Hux . . . What if she really is the one for you?” Kylo asked with a smile.

The general snorted. “I haven’t the time to deal with some hanger-on that my mother has dug up from the very bowels of society.”

Kylo raised a brow. “If Lady Hux is recommending her, she’ll hardly be a bantha. Margolin wants to retire. You know she’d intended to train your spouse to take over the family interests.” He paused. “Or just go to Kamino and have an heir created.”

“I’m aware of all that,” Hux said tightly. “But I’m hardly about to spawn a child and just leave it—even with my mother.” Margolin was exceedingly supportive of her son—had always been. It was something Kylo had envied, but he’d never had cause to feel any kind of jealousy, because she treated Kylo as though he were her own son. She’d taken him in when he’d been creditless with nowhere to go. He’d been the disowned and despised Ben Organa that had succumbed to the darkside and been expelled from polite society.

Kylo’s lip curled at his dark thoughts, but he tilted his head. “I suppose, though you’ll need to produce an heir at some point. You can’t just keep putting it off.”

Hux shook his head. “You always take her side. And what about you, Supreme Ruler? When are we likely to see a crown prince or princess?”

The Knight blinked. He’d been asked some variation of the question before—numerous times in fact, but he’d always put the questions off. For five centuries, he’d been alone in the darkness and no amount of romantic or physical attachment could change that. They had all passed through his life like wraiths—shallow and easily forgotten. But when the spark of her life had flared up twenty-six years ago, he’d fallen to the ground and wept at the beauty of so small a thing and yet so life altering. His fingers had run over his thread in wonder at the taut strength of it. She—and he’d just simply _known_ it was a she—had been born and she awaited him. Exemplars had always felt more deeply towards one another and he’d fantasized for decades about their lives together.

Children had inevitably been linked to that.

He thought of Reyna as he’d last seen her—thought of her terror and then her screams as she was thrown from his ship. He thought of the crushing loneliness he’d felt in her tiny home on Ord Canfre and the sorrow in her voice in 2187’s memories.

Kylo thought it unlikely that she’d consent to procreating with him—in _any_ way. He would need to look into alternatives at some point, but . . . he couldn’t think about that right now. Hux watched him, no doubt seeing the indecision on his face and the man eventually sat back with a sigh.

“Do not start panicking until you find her and really assess the situation. She may hate you with the vengeful fire of a trillion exploding stars, but she might not. It’s also been nearly a year since your last interaction and time has a tendency to soften harsh memories.”

He thought of the vividly recollected days and nights of his childhood.

 _. . . Vader!_ a woman screamed. _He’s Vader!_

Kylo looked away. “Not always.”

* * *

Rey sat in the booth of Maz’s bar, looking at the lightsaber. _Because that’s what it was._ The weapon of the Jedi Knights. It had called to her and she had been powerless to stop herself from acquiring it even with the exuberant cost. _200 credits_ . . . she sighed. Was this what the Force wanted from her? To learn to fight? But fight who? Kylo Ren?

“We have nothing to do with each other,” she whispered aloud even as her eyes glided over the metal cylinder that sat so deceptively innocent before her. Rey had no business owning a weapon like this. What did she know about wielding a laser sword?

None of it made sense. Rey made it her business to stay as far away from anything having to do with the Supreme Ruler and his crazy douchebaggery. Owning a lightsaber flew directly in the face of her self-mandated rules. Both the shop owner and Gilas had seemed shaken that she had found and purchased the weapon which didn't bode well at all. And after what she’d witnessed from the shitlord, she knew the saber was dangerous.

“He’s not your enemy, you know,” a familiar voice said.

Rey looked up and spotted Maz standing beside her. “Who?” she asked obtusely.

Maz snorted as she sat down. “You know who,” she said before her eyes slid down to the table. “Ah, finally found one to suit you, hmm?”

Rey was silent so Maz just shrugged.

“Or should I say that _it_ found _you,”_ Maz added as she examined the saber, her fingers twitching with her magnification goggles and her eyes growing larger and smaller every few seconds.

“That’s probably more accurate,” Rey muttered, irritated that Maz always seemed to know more about what Rey was going through than she, herself, did. “I know Kylo Ren isn’t my enemy. I’m so far down the totem pole of shit he’s dealing with right now that I didn’t even rate a trial for my ‘crimes’.”

Maz smiled. “The only constant in this universe is change, and the Supreme Ruler has gone through a great many changes.”

Rey shook her head. “Him taking his mask off doesn’t make him suddenly a good or decent person. No one changes that much, that quickly,” she said.

Maz hummed in agreement. “That is accurate to a certain extent, but his circumstances are beyond the norm. He is the dark exemplar, the avatar of the dark side of the Force. Together, with the light exemplar, balance will be achieved.”

Rey sighed. “So? What has that got to do with his crappy personality?”

The little orange sentient didn’t seem offended. “Every being in this galaxy has a single thread that connects them to the Force. Every single person . . . Except the exemplar. They share a thread. Hundreds of years ago, when the light exemplar who was born with Kylo Ren perished, his thread snapped.”

Rey blinked several times. “Jerah,” she whispered as she remembered the holo-vid.

Maz nodded and Rey shook her head in confusion. “How is he still alive?” she asked, suspicion and doubt beginning to cloud her mind. A snapped thread was indicative of death.

The orange sentient raised a hairless brow. “Sheer force of will. Other exemplars have done the same in the past, of course, but they all use the Force as a crutch to keep their threads from being consumed by the darkness beyond. He’s been living the last five hundred years with a broken thread. No anchor to keep him fully tethered to this plane of existence.”

“Until now,” she said and Maz nodded in agreement.

“Until now,” the sentient repeated in agreement. “His thread has reconnected and he is anchored again. His sanity is returning bit by bit.”

Rey was quiet as she thought about that—thought about the implication of Maz’s words and what it meant for Kylo during their first encounter. But she also thought of the consequences of their interaction and how, even now, she was fighting tooth and nail to undo what he’d done.

“It’s not enough,” she said finally. “I don’t care that he’s the dark exemplar or some powerful Force-user. I don’t care that he went crazy because he couldn’t allow himself to die with his friend. None of it ever had anything to do with me until he forced me into all this. He made a mess of my life on a whim and I’m still cleaning it up.”

Maz shrugged. “You will never be free of all this. And if it hadn’t been Kylo Ren who came to your planet, it would have been someone else.”

“Someone else who wasn’t bat-shit crazy,” she said with a snort.

“Perhaps,” Maz said cryptically and the table was silent for a moment until the sentient looked down at the lightsaber. “What do you plan to do with it?”

Rey sat back in her seat and shook her head tiredly. _I guess that line of conversation is over,_ she thought. “I was hoping you would tell me that. I don’t . . . I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. I’ve been doing the meditations like you said, but I can’t quite reach Earth.”

Maz nodded. “You’re not strong enough yet. You need to work on increasing your connection with the Force; allow it to flow through you. It’s the only way you will be able to draw enough power to find what you seek.”

“You think I haven’t been doing that already?” she asked heatedly. “I’ve let this hokey religious stuff run my life the last four months! I have _hallucinations_ and I _hear voices_. What else is there for me to do?”

Maz hummed to herself, not in the least put off by Rey’s irritation. “Perhaps it is time to try another method,” she said calmly as she pointed to the lightsaber. “Finding that is a sign that the Force has more to teach you.”

Rey shook her head. “I know what this is—what its purpose was. But I’m not a Jedi,” she whispered. “I don’t want to fight anyone.”

Maz smiled. “One can join with the Force and not be a Jedi Knight. Theirs is merely one aspect of learning. That lightsaber was used by a Jedi, this is true, but now it has called to you. It accepts you and has bonded with your living energy. It will always call to you and now you will always find it. Learning to use it is the next step on your path.”

“I never wanted any of this,” Rey said dejectedly, “I just want to go home.”

The small orange sentient reached over and put her hand over Rey’s. “Child, you might not have wished for this journey but it is upon you and you can no longer run from it. But if you embrace it—embrace your strength and power, you will do great things.”

Rey shook her head. “I’m just a mistake.” In so many ways everything about her was a mistake.

Maz shook her head. “No Rey, you are child of the Force and everything that has happened to you—to the man that took you, it was the will of the Force.”

Tears pricked her eyes. “But why?”

Maz was quiet for a long time before she spoke again. “Because you would not be ready to receive the gifts it has for you without the lessons you have learned,” she said before getting up and leaving Rey alone at the table.

If she gave in, allowed the Force to guide her, she would find Earth. That was the message Maz was delivering in her own convoluted and riddled way. The Force had inflicted the suffering that she’d experienced in order to lead her here—to this place . . . this precipice between escape and embrace.

Rey picked up the lightsaber and walked out of the bar, her long navy cape swirling around her feet as she moved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience last week!


	23. Chapter 23

Kylo Ren kept his face carefully placid as he walked through the home of the Prime Minister of Doldur. Even after these few months, he was still getting used to being without his mask and he’d had to school his expressions more than once as he interacted with people who were not his direct subordinates. 

Doldur was the last planet in this sector to seek entry into the empire. They were a proud people that had resisted the spectrum nanites as being unnatural, not for any religious reason, but because they felt that life could not be really treasured if it lasted so long. Minister Poldek was the first to put forth the idea of annexation to his people. They had been holding out for the last hundred years as the other planets in the surrounding systems flourished. 

Not everyone on Doldur would accept the injection, however Kylo was certain that within a hundred years, the vast majority of the planet would have accepted the gift. He did not enjoy seeing citizens of his empire sicken and die like mayflies around him. 

Kylo would not have normally done this in person; that was the job of one of the many diplomats employed within the government, but he had already been in the sector looking over the construction of a new spectrum nanite lab.

His plans required a significant stockpile of spectrum injections.

The request for his presence for the final assessment when he’d been so closeby was far from a coincidence. It was a common practice within the empire for leaders to try and get as much face time with the Supreme Ruler as possible. Minister Poldek was no different.

He would rather be out searching for Reyna but so far his Knights had not turned up any leads on the hidden art commune. Their taxes and financials were all done through a third party who was not privy to the location of his clients. When Kylo had a moment, he would bring up legislation to better account for imperial citizens because an entire artistic commune that generated millions of credits a year in income should  _ not _ be untraceable. He sucked his teeth absently in irritation. 

Kylo had been watching her search for her planet and he’d been tempted more than once to try and feed its location to her through the Force plane, but Caserian was there and any interference from Kylo would send up red flags to his apprentice. She was getting stronger, her connection with their power becoming ever more entrenched within her. Kylo longed to reach out through their tenuous connection and brush against her mind but he hadn’t dared to. If she detected him, her mind would shut and he would lose her again. 

He clenched his fist. He’d lose her more than he already had. She was out there within the empire without the him and he wondered then . . . did she know? Had Caserian told her? Was Caserian even with her on the physical plane? Kylo  _ hated _ not knowing.

He pushed his irritation away as he looked around the room. The manor home of the Prime Minister was actually rather modest for a planetary ruler—even an elected one. Still, it was tastefully decorated in the traditional style of Doldur with several shades of blue mixed geometric patterns and hand carved marble accents. His blue-robed imperial guards stood outside the room waiting for the tour to start.

He was admiring a particularly intricate statuette when the minister appeared. Poldek was a trim man who had obviously not taken the spectrum injection. Even as one grew older, it was hard to actually see any outward signs of aging. Minister Poledek, however, had lines around his eyes and mouth and his skin was uneven in places indicating that he’d not gotten the injection during childhood.

The spectrum injection was only available at an exorbitant cost to non-citizens so very few people on this planet would have them. Despite his seeming youth, Kylo would be several centuries older than this man.

Minister Poldek bowed slightly and the Supreme Ruler responded in kind. “Thank you for inviting me into your home,” Kylo said diplomatically.

Poldek nodded. “Of course, Supreme Ruler. It is a pleasure to host you on this occasion. It is tradition on my planet to allow you to see all the rooms of my home so that you may know that I come to our agreement with honesty and trust.”

Kylo was aware of the tradition and had prepared accordingly. “I thank you for your hospitality and I hope you will visit my palace soon so that I may return the favor.”

He was sure that the ink would barely have dried on the annexation documents before Poldek would come knocking on his door. Still, this planet had one of the best education systems for twenty sectors, and annexation would make many of those schools accessible to students who could not afford the cost of tuition by putting them on the imperial funding roster.

“I would be honored, Lord Ren,” the man said just before they began the tour. Kylo’s imperial guard followed along behind them on silent feet, keeping a respectful distance from the quietly conversing leaders.

The home was not lavish and like much of the planet’s aesthetic, it tended to err on the side of restraint and simplicity. However, every piece within the home had a history of importance either to the minister or the planet itself and Poldek was quite effusive in his recitations of these stories. 

Twenty minutes could be easily spent on a single paper weight sitting on a side table. So, it came as little surprise that several hours later when they entered the private study of the Minister’s wife, that Kylo was barely paying attention. Even the imperial guard were shifting—however minutely. This being the lady’s private sanctum, very little time was spent there and they were about step back out when a flash of color at the end of the room caught his attention. He blinked in confusion as he stared at the image silently while the minister asked him if he was alright.

“Yes . . . I’m sorry, I was struck by . . .” He pointed to the end of the room. “That.” It was painting, one he’d seen a copy of and he knew its contents even from here. Perhaps this was but another forgery but he had to be sure. Kylo left Poldek and walked towards the art piece, taking in the saturation of colors and the sureness of the strokes. 

The minister followed behind him. “Ah I see you’ve noticed our newest acquisition. Painted art! It’s becoming all the rage again. My wife purchased this piece from a private gallery on Coruscant, I believe.”

_ Painted art from a private gallery on Coruscant . . . _

Kylo nodded absently as he finally came to a stop only a few feet from the painting, his eyes taking in the design. A man and woman standing in front of a lake with the sun setting in the distance. It was a wedding . . .  _ Their wedding.  _ He pulled a glove off, exposing his hand and reached out. Poldek made a small noise of protest by Kylo ignored him.  _ He needed to be sure. _

His eyes slipped shut as his fingers brushed the surface and the paint. Flashes of memory as if he’d lived it cut through his mind. This one was no forged copy.

“What gallery is this from?” he asked tensely. 

Poldek pursed his lips in thought. “You know I don’t know. I would need to ask my wi—”

Kylo cut him off. “Then please ask her,” he requested but they both knew it was an order.

The minister looked confused but he scurried off to look for his wife leaving Kylo to stand there looking the piece over. His eyes trace the girl swathed in white lace, a soft smile on her face. Padmé Naberrie had not been trained in the Force, despite being the light exemplar. No one had known that she was meant for greatness when she was a child and her parents had not allowed the Jedi to take and train her.

And so she’d had no way to help Anakin defend against the darkness. It had consumed him and she’d been killed. Kylo would not allow the same fate to befall he and Reyna. He would train her, they would be equals and his Knights would be the definitive path of the Force in the galaxy.

The minister returned, his wife hot on his heels. Lady Poldek was dressed in a flowing gown of peach that cascaded from her shoulders to the floor in a confection of shimmery translucent fabric.

She bowed gracefully to him with a serene smile. “Supreme Ruler, sir. My husband tells me you are interested in the origin of one of our pieces.”

He raised a brow at them before inclining his head.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Ehem, well, I can’t tell you much, though I did speak with the Artist once at a private gathering a few weeks back.”

“You  _ spoke _ to her?” he asked incredulously.

Lady Poldek nodded. “Yes, charming girl. Reyna, I believe is her name is, though most people still know her by her nickname of Artist. If I remember correctly, she said she was from a planet in the uncharted zone,” the woman said pleasantly.

“Yes, did she say anything else?” he asked, his gaze intent.

The lady blinked in confusion before shaking her head. “There were many people vying for her attention that night. I believe the Lady Hux was able to speak with her the longest.”

“Lady  _ Hux?” _ he repeated, red beginning to bleed into his vision. Force  _ damn _ Armitage to the dark side and back for not being able to tell one damn painting from another. When he got his hands on him—

“Oh, yes,” the woman answered thoughtfully, cutting off his train of thought. “I heard later that she invited the Artist to her home for a gala next month.” She looked at her husband. “You see, I told you that painting was a good investment. Even  _ Lord Ren _ has heard of the Artist.”

“Of course, dear,” the minister said with a nod.

Neither of the Poldeks seemed to be aware of the Kylo’s brewing temper and his fists trembled as he got himself under control. “I have not had the opportunity to purchase any of her work myself though I am an . . . admirer of her work. Would you be so kind as to tell me where you purchased this piece?” he asked, keeping his question as amiable as he was able.

The woman’s brows furrowed. “Well, that is . . . I can’t say.”

His eyes flattened. “And why not?” he asked, a hint of an edge creeping into his tone.

“It’s a private group. I’m sure Lady Hux could tell you all about it . . .” she trailed off, her eyes glazing over as he pushed his will upon the her. If he could not get what he needed from Lady Poldek,  _ then _ he would try Lady Hux.

“Tell me how to find her," he ordered, ignoring the minister who was looking between them with a sense of dawning fright.

“I’m not supposed to,” she whispered.

He took a step towards her. “But you want to. Tell me what I wish to know.”

“Now see here—” the minister began and the imperial guard stepped forward, their weapons coming out, but Kylo ripped his gaze from the woman and looked at the man. “Quiet! I will be done in a minute.”

Poldek’s mouth moved up and down silently as though he could not quite form the words he wanted to say and Kylo turned back to the man’s wife. “It’s very important that I find her.”

The lady nodded, her eyes and voice vacant. “She’s important . . . I understand now. The gallery is run by a chagrian named Gilas Her’le. It’s very exclusive and private and there is a waiting list to even be accepted into their gallery membership.”

His lips curled, please to finally have a name. “I’m the Supreme Ruler of the Corellian Empire. I can promise, Mister Her’le will be very pleased that you told me about the gallery. Afterall, who would not want  _ me _ for a client.”

“That’s true,” she said thoughtfully before going to an ornate wooden box that sat on her desk. She opened it and flipped through a few things before pulling out a thin card. She handed it over to him and he noticed it was paper of all things. A very expensive commodity. It merely had a comm address printed on one side and nothing else.

“That’s Gilas’s private line for his top tier buyers.”

Kylo smiled. “Thank you,” he said as he placed the card into his pocket before turning back to look at the painting. “You purchased this work for two thousand credits. I will give you five thousand for it.”

That seemed to shake the woman from her reverie. “I—I”

Her husband seemed to finally find his voice where his wife could not. “We would happy to sell you the painting, Supreme Ruler.”

He nodded shortly. “Thank you for your help. One of the delegates will be in touch with you about your annexation approval.” That should take care of any lingering anger over his behavior. The minister’s profuse gratitude as he walked away said that it did. It was rude but he'd given them what they wanted and he had what he wanted.  _ A lead. _

* * *

Rey sat on the ground alone in her cottage, her feet bare beneath her as they brushed against the woven fibers of the matted flooring. She’d sent Gilas off with her latest batch of paintings and the chagrian had been smiling as he left. Kord was off-planet visiting one of her clients so Rey was alone with nothing but her thoughts and the two items that sat before her. 

The lightsaber twitched with the movement of her fingers in her lap and she watched it turn this way and that as she contemplated the other object. She had just over thirty-five thousands credits now. That’s what her datapad said. Rey had enough to buy a ship. She had an ID chip and she could go to Coruscant and buy a ship. It wouldn’t be difficult or illegal or even terribly time consuming.

She could just . . . do it.

Earth was still out of reach, but she was getting closer—she  _ knew _ it. She could almost feel Poe every time she visited the other plane. Caserian seemed to be there more often than not and as she thought of him, her fingers ceased their twitching. The lightsaber halted its movement over the floor and she looked down at it before running a fingertip over the cool metal. 

It was the last thing she saw as she sank into her meditation and began making her way through the tangle of threads towards the knot she was sure contained the threads of Earth. She just needed to find the right one. Caserian was no where near, but there were others drifting around her. They’d been showing up more and more often, especially when Caserian wasn’t around. 

They continued to be fairly benign, and they simply watched her from a short distance. They couldn’t find her, of that she was sure, but they were around nonetheless. They were curious about her, she thought. She was no Knight, but she was using the Force without their teachings. 

As she continued to search, her mind drifted to the last time she’d visited the plane. She was still unsure if what she’d allowed to happen was a mistake or not. He’d used his own thread to pull her into his mind once more, but there hadn’t been a short message waiting for her but a burst of knowledge . . . the kind that had her fingering her lightsaber absently in the real world.

Maz’s teachings had been invaluable with the more abstract methods of Force-use, but actually  _ using _ a lightsaber was something different. The things in her mind . . . many of them lined up with what was in the padawan’s journal, while much of it was different. She’d could now flip through it and just  _ know _ which things were important and which pages to read and learn from. That—combined with the  flashes of memories of fights that allowed her to see and experience battle—well, she hoped that if push came to shove, she could at least defend herself.

Rey hadn’t tried out any of the forms that she knew of—she hadn’t even ignited the thing since the day she’d purchased it. But she hadn’t let it out of her sight either. It sat innocuously beside paints and pigments on the table as she worked, and when she went elsewhere, it was clipped to a belt. She thought back to the old man. He’d said she would eventually have to take up arms; to fight. Was that her destiny?

Destiny or no destiny, she was done waiting.

She was used to remaining on the plane for extended periods, but this time she stayed there for . . . a long time. Long enough for Caserian to come to her and long enough to feel herself beginning to fade. Year and decades slipped by on the Force plane and the longer it went on, the more it felt as though chunks of herself were slowly chipped away and remade as she allowed the Force further and further into her mind and it  _ hurt. _

But none of that mattered when she found it.

_ There _ . . . she thought tiredly as she slipped away from the other plane. When Rey emerged and her eyes opened, she was sprawled across her floor unable to move. Her breathing was slow and shallow and there was a gut-wrenching pain that she knew quite well. 

“Oh God,” she moaned weakly. How long had she been gone? 

She blinked slowly, reaching out and hooking on to the closest mind. 

“Kord,” she whispered desperately and only a minute passed before her she heard a pounding on her front door. Rey was thanking every deity she could think of that she’d given Kord chip access to her home as the twi’lek rushed to her side.

“Oh, stars! Rey!” she said as she gathered Rey up and propped her against the sofa. “What are you doing here? What happened?”

Kord’s makeup was half done on her face and she wore a bathrobe instead of her usual pristine white gown.

“Water,” Rey managed to gasp out and the twi’lek nodded quickly as she got to her feet and hurried into the kitchen. 

How could she have made such a stupid mistake? It was easy to get lost on the other plane, but if Kord hadn’t been around . . .

The twi’lek return bearing a glass of water with a straw and she helped Rey to drink some of it. She coughed as her bone dry throat swallowed around the cool life-giving liquid.

“Do you know how long you need to go without water or food with the nanites to end up like this?” Kord demanded angrily.

“I’m guessing it’s a while,” Rey said with a sigh as she continued to sip the water.

Kord shook her head in irritation. “Two weeks, Rey!  _ Two weeks _ without water is how long it takes! Have you been here this whole time? You didn’t answer your door so I thought you’d gone off planet.”

Tears sprang up even as her body hurried to save what little moisture it had. “I found it,”   
she whispered.

“Found what?” Kord asked in confusion.

“Earth,” Rey said, “I found  _ Earth.” _

Kord’s jaw dropped. “You . . . How did you find it?”

The pain and the emptiness within her seemed so far away as she remembered. “I let it in,” she said after a quiet moment as her trembling fingers reached out. “It showed me the way.”

Her lightsaber laid several meters away, but it snapped towards her, more powerfully than it ever had before. Her fingers twitched to ignite it, just to see the power and the beauty of the weapon of the Force-users. 

Kord’s jaw dropped open. “Rey.  _ Stop.” _

The Earth girl turned abruptly. “Why? I can do things now. Protect myself.”

She could now. They were all nothing to her.  _ Kylo Ren _ was nothing. 

The twi’lek shook her head and her voice was concerned. “No, Rey! You’ve been on that damn Force plane too long. You aren’t thinking straight. What happens when a Knight senses you and comes for you? You can  _ move a fork _ and read people’s emotions.” She pointed to the lightsaber. “I don’t care what you think you learned over there. The Knights have been serving Kylo Ren for four hundred years.  _ Think! _ You don’t  _ really _ know how to use that thing and you’re no match against one of them. You need to stay off the radar.”

Rey could feel the cold fear that gripped Kord. She remembered the Knight—Caserian—who had nearly taken her friend with nothing but a word and no one could stop him. Caserian Ren was no threat to her, of that she was sure, but he’d been so strong, almost lazy in his claim over her. He was younger than most, she knew. Perhaps now she could stand toe to toe with him, but the others? 

Rey looked away. “They don’t matter anymore. I’ve found my home, and I have enough credits to buy my own ship. I’ll be outside the empire’s reach soon.”

Kord shook her head again in agitation. “Until Kylo Ren goes back to your planet to find the other exemplar.  _ He’ll _ sense you. The  _ other Knights _ will sense you. What will you do then?”

Rey deflated a bit. She hadn’t thought of that—so convinced that Kylo Ren would prefer to leave her be rather than be reminded of his mistake. She bit her lip in contemplation. She couldn’t face him . . . couldn’t face the man with the burning eyes.

Kord put a hand on Rey’s arm. “Stay here, Rey, where it’s safe—at least until he finds the new exemplar. Once he starts parading her around, then go back.”

It was a good plan, she allowed. Staying on Takodana was no great hardship . . . but then she thought about her brother, Poe. What he would have felt watching her be dragged off by Kylo Ren. And then when the Supreme Ruler eventually returned to Earth to find a new girl. He would think she was dead. She couldn’t let him go through that again.

Rey sighed. “I have to go,” she said finally.

Kord looked so stricken. “I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she said as her head came down until her forehead rested on Rey’s shoulder. Rey’s hand hovered over her friend’s back as she swallowed. Kord loved her, she knew and her eyes slid shut as she felt the rawness the twi’lek’s pain.

Kord’s hand slid down until her fingers were entwined with Rey’s. “You’ll come back though, right?” she asked in resignation.

Rey allowed a sad smile. “Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I really liked this chapter, but then I got a couple of odd comments on ff.net last week and now I'm still not entirely sure about anything in this story. :/
> 
> The next chapter is a bit more 'fillery' however, there are some end-game things that will be set up in there. The chapters coming up are really some of my favorites as we transition from the second act to the third, so I'm going to try and post two chapters next week, mostly cause I'm kinda impatient and I really want to get us into the third act. :)


	24. Chapter 24

Only a few days later, her meager things were packed up and currently residing in a hangar on Coruscant waiting to be loaded into a ship. One crate had her painting supplies, while another had her finished paintings that she wouldn’t be selling. Rey didn’t have much more than that—except clothes of course. Kord had shoved another crate at her just before she left Takodana. A cursory look inside at the sealed and bundled plethora of outfits had her shaking her head. 

“People on Earth aren’t exactly running around in potato sacks,” she said with a raised brow.

Kord shook her head. “Do you even know what kind of situation you’re going to be walking into? You were kidnapped over a year ago, presumably never to return. What are you going to do for money if everything’s gone?”

She didn’t think Poe would have left her destitute, but then if he was still serving in the navy—and he better be—he wouldn’t have necessarily been able to keep her apartment or things.

“Alright,” she said as she gave Kord one final hug.

She’d just dropped off one last painting with Gilas at the gallery and he’d been shocked to see her there. They spoke for a while in his office and he’d gotten quite crestfallen when she said she was leaving to find her planet.

“I’ll be back, though,” she said, “This is not the last you’ll see of me.”

“So long as you bring a stack of paintings when you come back, I guess I can forgive you for leaving me high and dry like this,” the chagrian replied.

Gilas would no doubt hoard her works and ask exorbitant prices in order to be parted from them. Rey had rolled her eyes but given the man a hug anyway. They’d talked about her need for a ship and he’d recommended a shop right there on Coruscant. According to Gilas, the ships there were relatively inexpensive but in perfect working order. He’d assured her of the quality and she took him at his word. Yelp wasn’t really a thing on a galactic scale and it was all word of mouth recommendations.

So now she stood in front of a reputable mechanic shop on Coruscant, and Rey could not believe how close she was. All the saving and working on Ord Canfre, and the centuries she’d spent on the other plane had all lead up this moment. She hadn’t spoken to FN-2187 since that last comm and his thread was firmly ensconced in the presence she’d identified to be Kylo Ren. How he’d gotten there and more importantly  _ why _ . . . she had no answer.

Caserian hadn’t shown up on Coruscant even though he had to know that she would come to this planet to get a ship. But she’d yet to feel his presence . . . though there was another Knight there. He or she was half the planet away and Rey had to squash her presence to nothing, just like Caserian had ‘taught’ her. The cape she wore kept her lightsaber well out of sight, but she could not help brushing her fingers over the cool metal at the thought of him. 

She walked into the shop and it wasn’t all that dissimilar from a car shop back on Earth. Men and women up to their elbows in parts and black grease walked around ignoring her—just like Earth—until she finally called out, “I’m looking for Snap Wexley.”

They looked at one another for a second before a good looking heavy set human with dark hair and eyes rolled out from beneath a hyperdrive engine. “That’s me,” he said, pulling himself back up so he was standing before her. His jumpsuit and face were  _ caked _ in engine grease and she resisted the urge to step back a bit. Thank God shaking hands wasn’t a thing out here.

She pasted on a smile. “Hi. I was told you were selling a ship?”

The man looked her over for a second before shrugging. “Got lots of ships. You know how to fly one?”

It was a valid question, she supposed. “Yes.”

That seemed good enough and Wexley nodded as he grabbed a rag and began wiping his hands. “You looking for space or speed?” he asked as he lead her through the shop and into a large yard behind the building.

“Space isn’t as important,” she said, remembering the months she’d lived in the apartment on Ord Canfre. “I just need it large enough to accommodate me on long distance travel. A small freighter maybe, with a decent sized hyperdrive. I need to be able to pilot it myself.”

They stopped just outside the building and she could see maybe a dozen ships of various sizes and in various states of repair scattered around a large open yard. Some were massive while others were barely more than a single-seater. Wexley was looking them all over and she couldn’t help skimming the surface of his mind. She didn’t do that often, she thought it sort of rude to be honest, but if she got cheated because she didn’t use every skill at her disposal, then that was on her.

_ Not that one . . . that one won’t be ready for weeks . . . too big . . . maybe that one? Just need to get that part installed and it’ll be good to go. _ Rey pulled away. The man seemed fairly benign so she let him lead her further into the yard until they stopped in front of a ship that had obviously seen better days but wasn’t the trash heap she’d been expecting.

“The type of vessel you’re describing is hard to come by. Lots of people want single person ships they can live in and pilot themselves and they’re popular with smugglers and bounty hunters too.” He gestured to the freighter, “This ship is meant for two pilots but if you give me a day, I can modify it and add an additional control board so you don’t need a second pilot.”

Rey looked the ship over critically. It looked positively ancient, especially when compared to the ships that she’d been riding around with Kord in, but she was also aware that looks were far from important when it came to these ships. They were built to last as the churcopt was almost impossible to extract again after the creation of a hyperdrive motivator. The vessel was bigger than what she’d initially wanted, but that wasn’t as big of a deal but size also had a measurable effect on speed—and price.

“What is the size of the hyperdrive?” she asked as she was lead inside. The thing was filthy if she were being honest. A layer of dark dust coated everything, and she was nearly certain that it had probably been used as a mining freighter in a previous life.

“This is a YT-2400 series freighter. It’s rated as a Class 2.0 hyperdrive,” he said as she looked over the cockpit. It was indeed set up for two pilots, but it could be converted easily enough.

Rey nodded. “That’s slower than I was hoping.” Others, even in the same series of ships had hyperdrives rated as low as Class 0.5. Still, being picky about how fast her  _ hyperdrive _ was when she was traveling halfway across the  _ galaxy _ seemed a little gauche.

Wexley showed her the cabins and the cargo area. “Unless you’re willing to pay for modifications, that’s as good as it gets.”

She pursed her lips. The ship was not precisely what she’d wanted, but it was all there. “How much?” she asked.

“Thirty thousand,” he said without missing a beat.

“Thirt—This isn’t an Imperial Cruiser. It’s a goddamn YT freighter,” she said heatedly. Rey had been expecting twenty-two at most.

He gave her a deadpan look. “This ship goes for over a hundred thousand new. I’m giving you a discount here cause you’re cute.”

She wanted to slap the man. “Twenty-five,” she said. “It’s not worth thirty and I’m not some idiot off the street.” She paused before muttering, “Not to mention, I’m gonna be cleaning this ship for the next hundred years.”

Wexley looked around, his expression innocent. “It’s not that bad.”

She wondered if he’d be saying the same thing if she had a blacklight. “It’s bad. Twenty-five is the most I’ll do.”

Wexley rolled the number around in his mind before nodding. “Fine, twenty-five,” he said.

She nodded. “Does it have an ID system?” Not every ship did as it was an expensive feature but if she was taking the ship back to Earth . . .

“Sure does, no one’s piloting this ‘cept you,” he assured her.

She smiled up at him. “I assume the modifications we talked about before are included in the price?”

Wexley rolled his eyes. “You’re gonna break me, woman. Fine. Anyone ever tell you, you’re a hardass?”

Rey raised a brow. “I know the value of credits and I don’t part with them easily.”

“I’ll bet,” he said with a sigh. “Come back tomorrow with the credits and she’s yours.”

Rey nodded and gave the man a genuine smile. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, sure. Anytime,” he said and she nodded before leaving the establishment, mentally tallying the things she still needed to buy before she picked up the ship tomorrow. Rations and fuel mostly, but she was also sure that the ‘fresher units would be empty in that ship and need to be refilled. Her account would be practically empty after this but it would be worth it. 

When she got back to Earth, Rey wondered if she would still paint. Her work wasn’t anything to write home about, in her opinion. She just happen to be the only game in town at the moment. Painting had never been more than a hobby in college because unless one was a megastar, one didn’t make a whole lot of money. That she’d practically fallen into that situation was . . . 

Rey narrowed her eyes.  _ It was incredibly lucky. _

She took a breath as she walked. How much control over her life did the Force have, she wondered. Maz had told her that the Force had brought her to this point. She shook her head. It made sense. It wasn’t her talent, it was the  _ Force _ that caused her success.

She fingered the lightsaber strapped to her side. If she never picked up a paintbrush again, Rey wondered what would happen. In the end it didn’t matter. She had her ship and she knew the location of Earth. 

There was little doubt in her mind that she wouldn’t see the galaxy again. It had become painfully obvious that the Force had plans for her. No way would her life have been manipulated to this extent without a purpose in mind. 

Rey sort of hoped it involved Kylo Ren and a tire iron.

* * *

Kylo could feel she wasn’t on the planet even as they made their descent towards the commune and he had to stop himself from physically slaughtering everything around him.  _ Another _ failure to find her. Takodana was the place she’d been living for the last six months and perhaps she’d simply stepped out to attend to an errand. He’d had his people follow the chagrian, Gilas Her’le, all the way here but the exemplar was still absent.

Still, there was information to be had. The ship landed with a slight tremble and the ramp lowered. Without his mask, he could see that the planet was beautiful and exactly the type of place he wished he’d dropped her on to begin with. Perhaps she would not have been so hard pressed to leave and force Kylo to track her down if the scenery had been better. The imperial guard was the first out as usual but he followed swiftly and his feet had barely touched the ground before he was being greeted by the residents. A few of his Knights fanned out behind him, subtly skimming the thoughts everyone there.

Gilas stood at the front of the small crowd. Fear was rampant in the group and Kylo could tell that the vast majority never left this commune. Most of them did not recognize him so they only saw an outsider, and they didn’t know how to deal with his presence. 

The chagrian stepped forward and Kylo watched as he whispered reassurances and explanations to the artists. His name was spoken and a few stepped back from him while others eyed him closely. His mask had been his symbol for almost two hundred years, and people were hard-pressed to associate him with his true face.

Gilas gave a small bow as he approached. “Supreme Ruler! I—we did not know to expect you.”

“I am looking for someone,” he said simply, his eyes gliding over the crowd. They all murmured and looked at one another, confused over which one of them had gained the attention of the Supreme Ruler.  He could see Reyna’s smiling face in the sentient's mind. 

He  _ knew. _

“Has one of our artisans caught your eye?” Gilas asked hesitantly, his gaze downcast as though that would protect his mind.

An interesting choice of words. “In a manner of speaking. I seek Reyna Gillespie.”

Gilas’s eyes widened even as a another voice asked, “Rey?”

He immediately speared the girl with his gaze. She was a pretty young indigo-colored twi’lek girl in a white dress—and she was eyeing him with thinly veiled hostility and disdain. He easily delved into her mind and saw feelings for Rey that ran slightly deeper than mere friendship. The twi’lek loved to dress Rey up simply because she enjoyed seeing the human in clothing she’d created, usually with Rey in mind. He saw the twi’lek specifically picking the best planets and restaurants to take Rey to and give her the time of her life. His face twitched minutely in jealousy before he pulled away slightly but kept his presence inside her mind, pressing specifically on her and inhibiting her ability to lie.

He knew the way to Rey’s home on this planet from the twi’lek’s mind so he walked towards it, pausing long enough to convey an order. “Come with me,” he said. Her eyes narrowed but she followed none the less, unable to disobey him.

The pair moved through the foliage of the planet and towards the tiny home. The sight of it caused his fingers to tightened as he was once again brought up short by the fact that his exemplar continued to live in  _ hovels _ because of his foolishness. They entered through the wide glass doors and most of the furniture was covered but there were still signs of Rey about; a few jars of pigment on a table and a half-made canvas against a wall.

The twi’lek stayed by the door as he walked towards a small table where one of the jars sat. His fingers circled the top of it, though he could not feel the metal through the leather of his gloves. But he could feel . . . happiness. She’d been happy here for a time.

The home was silent as he stood there in thought, before speaking again. “You knew her well,” he said thoughtfully. “She was happy . . . because of  _ you.” _

Her eye twitched at the accusation. “Rey was not in a good place when she got here, and there was a point that she nearly gave up on everything. I reminded her that there were still reasons to go on, still beautiful things to experience.”

“She confided in you.”

He could hear the sounds of Reyna’s cries as she related her trauma, feel her hair as though it were his own fingertips soothing her in the darkness. Kylo did not allow frustration to cloud his judgement or his expression as he turned to face her, the tiny jar clutched in his hand.

He pulled away from her mind fully. He contemplated taking the twi’lek as well. FN-2187 had become a rather important member of his entourage since he’d joined Kylo in his search. The ex-’trooper was, even now, aboard the Defender tracking down the other owners of Reyna’s paintings. But this girl—this  _ Kord Mondrechia _ —was not the same as ‘87. He could break her and rebuild her into something more docile, though that would upset the Artist.

She seemed to sense the danger he posed, and she backed up a bit as he walked towards her. “Why are you here?” she asked, her voice low and cautious.

A muscle trembled in his cheek as he contemplated telling her. “There is only one reason I would travel to this tiny unimportant planet,” he murmured.

Her breath was a shuddering thing as she seemed to realize exactly who it was that she stood alone with. “You left her on Ord Canfre.”

He did not deny it. “Yes . . . A mistake, it seems. One that I will rectify as soon as I find her.”

She blinked up at him and he could took the barest of seconds to bask in her fear. “Why?” she asked.

A slow smiled spread over his lips. “You know why. You know the reason that you and all others are drawn to her. You’ve suspected it from the beginning.”

She shook her head quickly and looked away from him. “It can’t be her. Rey’s not . . .”

He snorted out a bitter laugh. “You wanted to believe it so badly—Believe that you and she could move about for the rest of your lives uninterrupted—that it would be  _ you _ who made her whole and happy again.”

Her sadness washed over him and his smile grew. “You know what it means to be exemplar. You can play at being the dumb fashion girl, but you did your homework. You know that  _ I _ am the only one who will fill that void that has lived within her.”

It looked as though Kord would curl up within herself, but then her eyes changed. “You can try, but she  _ hates _ you,” the twi’lek hissed. “You ruined her life after you nearly killed her. You’ll follow her back to that planet of hers, and she’ll be ready for you this time—”

Kylo felt the red bleed over into his vision and Kord’s eyes widened in horror as his hand came up. The sentient immediately froze in silence. “I misjudged you. You’ve learned so much about her—about me, and yet somehow you don’t even know when to  _ shut up. _ You think your pitiful little crush will mean anything after I find her? She and I are one—our very existence is tied together. I have all the time in the world to convince Reyna to forgive me,” he said as his eyes moved over her. “Even if I do something  _ unforgivable.” _

The twi’lek gave one final gasp before falling to ground, her form still and Kylo’s red eyes bled away back into darkness. He stepped over her without a backwards glance and walked slowly back to the main common area of the commune. The effects of Reyna’s presence on him were fading and the darkside was pulling on his thread. He held up the tiny jar and took a steadying breath. Even if she did despise him . . . he could never let her go. 

Kylo entered the common area and found that many of the other artists had been sent off to their homes, the Knights picking through their minds before erasing their memories. Coming here had been a waste of time, it seemed.

He was about to ascend the ramp back up into the ship when one of his Knights spoke up. “Sir, a moment of your time,” Londra Ren said from the side.

Kylo looked over to find the Knight standing beside a sweaty and nervous Gilas.

His head tilted in mild confusion before he made his way over. “Find something interesting?” he asked knowingly. Londra was one of the higher ranked Knights and had the privilege of acting autonomously because he had Kylo’s complete trust. He would not have stopped the Supreme Ruler unless it was important. 

Kylo didn’t even need to reach out a hand to the chagrian. The panicked sentient was practically broadcasting his guilt and treasonous actions now that he’d been found out. 

He’d been speaking to people and taking orders from enemies of the Empire.  _ This new artist at my commune was kidnapped by the Supreme Ruler . . .  _

Kylo’s eyes met the art dealer and the abject fear in the sentient's gaze wasn’t enough to assuage his anger. “You sent her to a Resistance cell. _ My exemplar.” _

The chagrian shook his head in denial and he whimpered as the Supreme Ruler bore down on him. Kylo was tempted to crush the sentient’s skull right then and there . . .

“Supreme Ruler,” Londra began. “I will get every detail and scrap of information from him. We will find the Artist.”

Kylo turned to the Knight. “I leave that to you then,” he said before turning away. 

She’d gone back to Earth . . . on a ship sold her by a Resistance sympathizer. He’d come so far only find out he was back at square one. No, he was worse off now because anyone with a set of eyes could tell she  _ hated _ him and now she was on the radar of Leia Organa.

He thought over his options. He could leave for Earth immediately, chase her down and drag her back to his empire. It was his first instinct and what he wanted to do. But . . . he sighed. Kylo Ren made a decision that was rare for him. He put the welfare of another before himself.

He’d send probes and perhaps a stealth team to the planet to make sure the Resistance kept away, but  . . . he’d give her a few years on Earth to spend with her people, her family. And when he went back to find her, he’d be more . . . diplomatic about it. It would give her time to cool down and Kylo was sure that if he explained everything, that she would understand and return with him. She was the light exemplar, her place was by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Kylo is slowly losing it again. That should be fun. ;P
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the late update. Those of you who follow me on tumblr know the reason why, but in simplest terms I had a family issue on Friday and I wasn't feeling up to dealing with editing until today. I ended up editing this chapter and changing some very important things so this chapter isn't quite as boring as it used to be. But I will still try to upload another chapter maybe tomorrow.


	25. Chapter 25

Earth was so beautiful from space. Perhaps the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Her ship hung there waiting for landing inputs as she sat in silence just looking. More than a year of working and saving and she’d somehow made it back home. It shouldn’t have been possible.

She should not have been able to work her way from waitress to celebrity artist in so little time and return here. The Force had guided her, and she was still unsure of the trade-off. It seemed as though the membrane between this plane and the next was ever thinner, and she could feel it calling to her. The silence and warmth was comforting to her, especially when she could pluck at the threads of those she cared for.

_ What would happen?  _ she wondered, when she returned to the planet. Would she be able to just pick up her life as though nothing had happened? Would people treat her differently? Humans were so strange, but there  _ was _ one thing that Rey could be sure of.

There would be therapy. Lots and  _ lots _ of therapy.

“Fucking Kylo Ren,” she muttered as she began maneuvering the ship down the surface. There was no planetary guidance signal to assist her in making sure she was landing in the right place, and it didn’t help that the northern hemisphere was currently covered in a blanket of white.

The cities were moderately easy to spot and she avoided those like the plague and picked a place that was fairly out of the way but that she could navigate. Even as a healthy dose of fear and caution colored her thoughts, tears were still welling up in her eyes as she landed the small freighter on to the planet. Her _ home _ . 

Rey watched as snow blew away from the trees and shrubs of the forest in the wake of the thrusters. She’d decided to stay well away from the cities and there wasn’t a town around for miles. She got up from the cockpit and walked slowly towards the ramp. Her phone said it was early February so she’d been gone a year and three months. This time of year, it would be blisteringly cold outside so she pulled the dark cloak over her shoulders and waited as the ramp lowered. 

There was the faintest of trembling when the ramp hit the ground, and she hesitated for only a second before stepping onto it. As she walked down and took her first step onto the frozen ground, she inhaled deeply and Rey wasn’t sure if Earth really smelled different or if it was just a bias on her part, but she swore the scent was almost sweeter. The ground crunched under her boots as she walked slowly through the clearing, and just looked around at the common pine trees that surrounded her ship.

_ A year wasn’t so long, _ she thought, not when one would live another few centuries at least, but somehow, it felt as though her life from before belonged to someone else entirely. The job, the friends, the home . . . none of them were hers anymore. She wasn’t the same. Rey had tried so hard to return, but it wasn’t the crystal clear joy of being complete—of finally filling the void inside her that she’d expected.

Her pocket buzzed and Rey felt her brow furrow in confusion as she pulled her phone out. It kept buzzing as message after message popped up.  _ What _ . . .? Her phone was still working?

“Poe,” she whispered aloud. He must have continued to pay her bill. Rey took a heaving breath as she dialed his number. It rang several times before going to voicemail. She swallowed as she listened to his voicemail message and smiled before speaking.

“Poe . . . it’s—it’s Rey. I’m back—on Earth, I mean. I’ve missed you so much. I’m—call me back," she said and hung up. What more could she say on a voicemail?She hadn’t been able to locate him on the planet by his thread alone or she’d have gone to find him. Hopefully she would see him soon, though.

Rey looked around the quiet clearing for moment, unsure of exactly what her next steps should be. There was one other person she wanted to call. She hastily dialed another number.

It only rang a few times before a shaky voice said, “If this is a prank, it’s not funny.”

Had he suffered as well? His voice was haggard with emotion and she swallowed. “James,” she said.

There was a sharp breath. “Rey?”

She smiled, so happy to hear a familiar voice without the slight modulation that came with hearing a translation of their words. “James I made it back. I’m back on Earth.”

There was silence for a few seconds before he responded. “Shit! Where are you?”

“Great Piece Meadows in Fairfield,” she said quickly. They’d gone there for a company team building retreat a few years back so he should know where it was.

There was a second of silence before James responded. “You’re in  _ New Jersey _ ?!”

The way he said it was so  _ James  _ that she couldn’t help laughing and rolling her eyes even if he couldn’t see it. Their old banter came bubbling up to the surface. “Yes, God dammit! This was as close as I could get. It’s fucking freezing. Get your ass down here.”

There was a beat of silence before James seemed to remember himself. “I—I’m coming. Oh my god!” 

There was a flurry of sound over the phone, but before Rey could respond she heard the rumbling of incoming vehicles. That wasn’t right. She’d been to this part of the park before and there shouldn’t be anyone anywhere near there—especially this time of year. She looked through the trees and resisted the urge to back up a step. Her hand danced close to the lightsaber at her side. She hadn’t brought a blaster with her to Earth, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to leave the lightsaber back on Takodana.

Her brow furrowed as she spotted olive green humvees coming through the trees and into the clearing. Well, that had been faster than she expected but then, after the spectacle Kylo Ren had made before, it didn’t surprise her that the government was perhaps a bit more observant of space.

Men poured from the trucks, their rifles pulled out and pointed her way. She could sense the fear and confusion of the people surrounding her. No one had expected to ever see her again, but there she was, standing before them with a ship and no Black Mask. 

What was she doing there? Why was she back? Would the alien who had taken her come back to find her? Their thoughts were a cacophony of questions and caution. Rey shoved her phone into her pocket and raised a brow at the mix of fear and suspicion that was being thrown her way. What right did they have to be suspicious of her? After everything she’d . . .

Anger boiled beneath the surface. In all her struggles to come back here, this was the first time she had thought about what it would be like to actually  _ be _ back. To return to the people who had given her away like candy during the holidays. Anything to get the threat of Kylo Ren away from the planet. Her life in sacrifice for everyone else.

She spoke before she could stop herself. “The  _ fuck _ do you idiots think you’re doing?! Do you know what I went through to get back to this _ backwater god damn planet?!” _

“Lower your weapons!” a voice called from behind the soldiers.

Many of them lowered fractionally but their eyes never left her. A man who looked vaguely familiar strode forward from behind the soldiers but stopped before he broke the line. 

“Reyna Gillespie?” he inquired towards her.

Her eyes narrowed and she searched her memory for the man.  _ The liaison,  _ she realized. “Fallinger?” she asked aloud with a slightly confused tone.

The man looked relieved that she remembered him. He didn’t come any closer to her, but he looked at her curiously. “You’ve been gone a long time,” he said slowly as though talking to a skittish child. She could not passively sense his thoughts or intentions. Perhaps it was the distance between them. Perhaps he was one of the few who had a natural immunity. Either way, it did not help her in deciding whether it was worth talking to, let alone trusting this man.

Her head tilted and her brows rose. “That’s one way of putting it,” she said, backing up a step towards the ramp of her ship.

His hands came up a bit and she could see that he was taking in every detail about her that he could. Her clothing, her stance, the differences and similarities to how she’d been before. “I’m sure you have quite the story,” he said placatingly.

None of it was anyone’s business but hers. “Not really,” she said flatly, “I just want to go home.”

Fallinger looked vaguely regretful, which was more emotion than he’d ever shown before. “I’m sorry that’s not really possible. I need you to come back with me to the base. You need to be placed into quarantine.”

“Quarantine?” she asked suspiciously, “But I’m not sick.”

Fallinger nodded. “Perhaps not but you could be carrying something and not even know it.”

He stepped closer to her and she pressed his mind further. She needed to be careful. If he knew—if  _ anyone _ here knew, there would be trouble. Even with her trying a little harder, he was partially shielded from her, but she could at least pick up a few more things. He was concerned about pathogens, and they couldn’t be sure that she was in fact who she said she was.

But there was no deceit in him. He meant what he was saying. She pulled away from his mind and looked around. There were perhaps twenty men and she met each of their eyes, slithering into their minds quickly and quietly. She could incapacitate all of them in the blink of an eye. They were  _ nothing— _

She jerked slightly.  _ No! _ Rey pushed the call of the Force from her. It could help her—it  _ wanted _ to help her, but whatever her fate was, she was in no hurry to face it. She also hadn’t come all the way back here to pick a fight with the US government. 

“Alright,” she said finally. “But my friend is on his way here.”

Fallinger nodded, the creases in his forehead easing at her acceptance. “We know. James Masterson will be brought to you.”

She was in no way surprised that he knew about James. “Please call my brother,” she said as well.

Fallinger nodded and gestured behind him and a few men in biohazard suits came forward and patted her down, taking her phone and lightsaber. “We already have people pulling him from the carrier. He’ll be back in the states within 24 hours.”

She nodded in response but her eyes were on the yellow-suited man who held the metal cylinder. “Be careful with that,” she said.

Fallinger looked from the weapon to Rey. “Why?” he asked, suspicion coloring his voice.

There was no point in hiding it. “Because it’s a weapon and it could kill someone if you aren’t careful,” she said quite truthfully. The man in the suit had been looking down the business end of the saber, but immediately pulled his face away, and put it and the phone into sealed bags.

“What kind of weapon?” Fallinger asked, his eyes never leaving the saber.

Not the kind the government wanted, that was for sure. “It’s a type of sword, I guess.” 

She couldn’t think of another way to really describe it. Fallinger nodded and the two men escorted her to their van, the soldiers giving her a wide berth. As the doors closed, she hoped she hadn’t made a mistake.

The ride back was quiet and she tucked herself further into her cloak. The two men weren’t looking at her and were instead typing away on their tablets. The ride seemed to take forever and she had no idea where they were headed but she could still feel Fallinger close by.  _ In the car behind the van, _ she thought.

They soon came to a stop and the doors opened. Other men and women in biohazard suits were there and one of them helped her down onto the ground.

“Come this way, Miss Gillespie,” a woman said, leading her into the building, the doors shutting and sealing behind them. They arrived at a white tiled room with a sealed concrete floor. There was an open showering area a few feet away along with a toilet and sink.

The woman’s tone was brisk. “If you could remove everything on your person, we need to get you thoroughly cleaned to ensure no outside contaminants end up in your area.”

Rey wanted to argue but there was little point so she took everything off and folded it as she handed it over to the woman. “Don’t lose any of that. My friend made those clothes for me.”

The woman nodded and left when Rey was fully nude. She stood there in the silence and felt her skin pimpling in the cool clean air. The shower head was so innocuous and yet she was unsure for a second about using it. How long had it been since she’d last used  _ water _ for bathing? Not since she’d left Earth. ‘Freshers with their ‘clean mist’ were far more convenient and prevalent in the galaxy.

Rey turned on the tap and waited for the water to warm up. Her fingers ran through the spray, a shiver running up her back as she stepped into the steady stream. She may have let out a tiny moan. She’d obviously forgotten how nice a water-based shower could feel. 

“Oh wow,” Rey said quietly as she used the soap provided to thoroughly clean her body, scrubbing herself head to toe and back again. It was over far sooner than she’d have wished but she couldn’t stay in the shower all day.

There was a towel along with set of white scrubs folded on the counter beside the door. Undergarments and a set of white slip-on shoes accompanied them. Not exactly Kord’s space couture but it would cover the important bits. They reminded her of the clothes she’d worn while she’d been working on Ord Canfre.

With a sigh she knocked on the door and the woman in the suit opened it and let her through. Rey’s clothes were nowhere to be seen but that didn’t surprise her. She was lead down a few stark white hallways until they reached a room that reminded Rey of a doctor’s office. There was a long padded table along with a a set of cabinets and a sink. A man joined them and she was already sitting up on the table.

“We need to do a full workup and physical,” he said.

Rey sighed and nodded. “Yeah, let’s get this over with.”

It took around an hour for the entire thing with samples and biopsies being taken along with scans of her body with mobile machines. By the time they were done, she was just  _ tired. _ The woman lead her again through the maze of halls, and they eventually reached a room with a twin bed and a table with two chairs. There was a flat screen television on one wall and a frosted glass enclosure in the far corner. 

“We have all the basics in here for you but is there anything specific I can bring to you?” the woman asked.

Rey blinked and realized exactly what she wanted. “Can you get me a burger? Like just a fastfood Burger King Whopper? And french fries? And Coke?” she asked and wasn’t even ashamed of the slightly pleading note in her voice.

The woman smiled. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said. “Mister Fallinger will be in here in a moment to speak to you.”

“Alright,” Rey said with a nod. The woman left and Rey was alone in the white enclosure. In the silence, she could not help but reach out for her lightsaber. It was in the building, two floors down. Rey wondered if she was strong enough to call it to her from there and fight her way out if she needed to escape. Realistically . . . probably not, she decided. So far everything had been exactly as she should have expected and no one had been in anyway threatening apart from the scared soldiers in the beginning.

Rey sat down in one of the chairs and looked around. There was a camera in the corner of the room.  _ Of course there was _ , she thought with a sigh and a shake of her head. She’d be lucky if she had any privacy at all until she left this box.

Just then the door opened again and Fallinger stepped into the room, a biohazard suit over his Armani this time. He carried a tripod and another camera that he set up and pointed towards her. 

“I’m going to record this conversation, alright?” he asked, more as a courtesy than for her permission.

“That’s fine,” she said with a shrug.

He also had a manilla folder and a tablet with him that he set on the table as he got the camera recording. Once he was satisfied, he sat down across from her. She wasn’t looking at him, but she could feel his eyes on her and sense his more prominent thoughts. He was utterly fascinated.

He was good at playing at disinterest, though. She’d have never known any of that from just the flat look on his face. 

“How are you feeling, Miss Gillespie?” he asked.

She met his eyes and raised a brow. “It’s Rey,” she corrected, “And like I just got stuck with a hundred needles, but I suppose that comes with the territory.”

A muscle twitched slightly in his jaw and  _ ah . . .There is was. _ He didn’t care about Rey—not really. He cared about what was out  _ there. _ He didn’t want to know about Rey the person, he wanted to know about Rey the space adventurer. He had questions that he needed to ask, but his own interest stemmed from wishing he could go out there himself. 

She watched him for perhaps a second too long, because his mind blanked a bit as he swallowed. “You can call me Mack then. You and I will be seeing a lot of one another.”

That much as fairly obvious, but she crossed her arms over her chest. “Why? How long am I going to be here?” It was a valid question that she would assuredly ask if she hadn’t already picked up the answer from his mind. He and the people watching from another room were looking for differences in her. They wanted to see if and how she’d changed. 

“Our team has determined that you should remain here for thirty days to ensure the safety of the planetary population.”

She gave him an incredulous look. “A  _ month? _ Are you kidding me? I’ve already lost more than a year of my life and you want to lock me up for another month? I’m less of a danger than anyone else on this planet. I got the spectrum injection while I was out there.”

“Spectrum injection?” he asked with interest.

Rey didn’t smile as the man predictably jumped on the statement. They would see the nanites in her blood and biopsies and there was no use hiding them or putting on any pretense of concealing their true purpose. Best to look as though she was being completely honest about all their questions.

She nodded absently. “It’s an injection the empire provides to citizens that keeps them from getting sick. Disease had been completely wiped out in that part of the galaxy.”

Mack blinked for a second. “The  _ empire?” _

The way he said the word—the interest and  _ need _ to know. It was just as Rey had been back on those first days on Ord Canfre. The idea of an empire rather than a democratic republic being the pervasive method of government wasn’t something that would necessarily sit well with some people.

“The Corellian Empire,” she said, “is the dominant force in the galaxy.”

Mack’s jaw dropped for a second before he caught himself. He wanted to ask her about the empire, but he had a job to do. He pulled up a photo on his tablet and showed it to her. “We analyzed your blood and it looks like you have something . . . extra in there.” It was the first time Rey had seen evidence of what exactly was going on inside her own body. There were several dozen tiny . . . things attached to a blood cell like aphids to a tomato plant. They were nearly invisible and her brow furrowed as she looked the image over.

“We’ve never seen anything like this before.”

No, she supposed not. “They’re called spectrum nanites. They make sure I don’t get sick. And I think I heal a bit faster,” she said with a purse of her lips.

“That’s all you know about them?” he asked, his eyes intent.

She put the tablet down and slid it back to the liaison. “I wasn’t exactly conscious when they were administering the injection.”

That statement seemed to shake him, and she could hear his well rehearsed script breaking down inside his mind. “What  _ happened _ after you left?” he asked.

Rey’s lips curled into a pained smile. “The man in the black mask . . . his name is Kylo Ren. He’s the Supreme Ruler of the Corellian Empire . . . and he tried to murder me about ten minutes after we left the planet.”

Of all the things she could have said, that seemed to be the last thing he expected. “Why?”

She shrugged. “I was an idiot. He acted as though we should know one another, and I panicked and I maced him.” Rey wasn’t sure if she’d ever really move on from what happened, but this story had been told so many times and she was sure she’d have to tell it a few hundred more before she would have some peace.

“You . . . you what?”

His shock was not unexpected. The officer on Ord Canfre had been the same. Rey, an ordinary girl from a nowhere planet, had attacked the Supreme Ruler. Mack though, had little concept of the man in the mask beyond the fact that it was entirely possible that he could have been pissed enough at Rey to vaporize the planet in retaliation.

She resisted the urge to snort at the idea. As if Kylo Ren would risk harming his precious light exemplar, the bastard. 

“I used a can of pepper spray to get him to let go of me and he didn’t exactly appreciate it. He tried to kill me, but that didn’t work on account of the fact that he couldn’t really see me very well. He left me to rot for five days with no food or water. I passed out and didn’t expect to wake up again.”

There was more there and she was sure he would pick apart her story in the days to come, but for now, he kept his questions short. “But you did.”

Rey sighed as she remembered the way her knuckles and fingers had bled as she beat against the duraplast viewport and screamed. “I woke up just in time to be thrown into an evac tube and jettisoned from the ship. I landed on a tiny dusty planet on the edge of the empire called Ord Canfre.”

Mack’s brow furrowed. “He just left you there?”

Rey shrugged. “I wasn’t who he came to Earth to find,” she said and saying it aloud—that everything had been a mistake . . . was strange because she  _ knew _ that it hadn’t been. This cosmic joke that she’d lived through had been orchestrated by a higher power for some purpose that she could not begin to understand much less explain. 

“Why  _ did _ he come here?” he asked and wasn’t that the question of the day, the year, the century.  _ Why had Kylo Ren come to Earth? _

She was silent for a moment as her mind raced through the explanations and possibilities and all the things she knew and  _ didn’t _ know. “That is a really long story,” she said slowly.

He tilted his head and nodded. “We’ve got thirty days, Rey.”

She smiled. “I suppose we do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank you guys for your comments on the last chapter. I very much appreciate every comment I get, but I've been feeling pretty low the last few days, and questioning if I should really be spending my time on this. But just reading ya'll's comments really helped me. Thank you.


	26. Chapter 26

She and Mack sat there in that room for close to four hours talking, pausing when the woman returned with a bag bearing the familiar crown logo. Rey practically melted in her chair as she bit into the cheeseburger. There was a slight moan that accompanied each slow and savoring chew. Fallinger stared at her but she could not have cared less about the liaison in the moment. Her life revolved around that sandwich and nothing else could compare in importance.

At least until she got to the fries, at which time she became a hoover vacuum cleaner and stuffed them in as quickly as she could. The entire thing was washed down with a sugary carbonated soda and it. Was. Amazing.

Mack took the opportunity to change out the battery and memory card but he didn’t try to ask her any more questions while she had her meal. When she finally finished, they went back to the saga of Reyna Gillespie—Well, more specifically, what she knew about the Corellian Empire

“Are they hostile?” he eventually asked, taking down notes as they went.

Rey pursed her lips. That was a loaded question, especially considering who they were asking. Still, she tried to keep her own bias at her shitty treatment away from her answer. 

“No—not really. They are currently at war with a group called the Resistance who operates out of the uncharted zone.” Rey paused as Fallinger produced an image of the galaxy as Earth humans theorized it to look. It was close. She reached over and ran her finger over the glass, circling an approximation of the uncharted zone. “We are in the uncharted zone. The vast majority of the planets with the empire joined willingly a few hundred years ago when the galaxy was invaded by a species called the Yuuzhan Vong. They’d nearly succeeded in overtaking the everything until Kylo Ren appeared with his own fleet and pushed them back and out of the galaxy. He was named Supreme Ruler then.”

Fallinger nodded and moved on from there. He asked question after question about the empire; the size, the technology, the governing methods etc. She did her best to answer as much as she could but she had been actively staying away from anything and anyone related to the empire while she’d been out there so she wasn’t much help.

Not until she became a citizen anyway.

His brow furrowed. “You said the spectrum injection is given to citizens of the . . . the empire, but you got it soon after you left. Is that when you became a citizen?”

Rey couldn’t help it. She snorted out a laugh—not at the absurdity of the question but at how completely off-base it was.

“No,” she finally said, “That’s not when I became a citizen. I was technically an ‘illegal alien’ for months.”

He didn’t seem impressed by her pun. “While you were on Ord Canfre,” he prompted instead.

She nodded, unperturbed. “Yeah. I couldn’t travel legally anywhere, but I was able to rent an apartment so I didn’t end up in a shelter.”

“How—”

Mack’s words were cut off as the door buzzed, and a man’s voice sounded. “Mr. James Masterson has been cleared to speak to Ms. Gillespie.”

He hesitated for a moment and looked at her. His thoughts were transparent. He wanted to continue questioning her. He wanted to know everything there was to know about what had happened. Her eyes narrowed and that seemed to snap him out of his border-line obsessive thoughts. 

He nodded. “We’ll stop here and pick this up again tomorrow.”

She sat back and watched him as he gathered everything up. “Someone will be in, in just a minute to take you to meet Mr. Masterson,” he said absently before turning away.

She’d have nodded—perhaps said goodbye—if she thought he was paying even that much attention. Mack left, the door shutting behind him, and the room was once more silent and still. She didn’t like the quiet much. Ord Canfre hadn’t been silent, even in the dead of night and she’d kept her windows open constantly on Takodana. The calm of the room ate at her—reminded her of places and times she’d rather forget. She swallowed before doing the one thing she’d gotten good at.

She ran.

Her eyes slid shut and she allowed herself to fall into a bit of a meditative trance. It wasn’t the full Force plane, but she could leave the room and feel the minds of the people on the base. Some were talking about the recordings of her story. They weren’t sure if they should believe her and they were frightened of the idea that she was telling the truth.

What would they do? What would he demand when he returned? Their ‘representative’ had maced what amounted to a galactic emperor who’d then tried to kill her. And rather than staying and suffering wherever it was that he’d left her, she had the gall to return and potentially subject the rest of the world to the man’s wrath. Rey was fairly sure that Kylo Ren had bigger fish to fry than still being pissed off at one girl after a year. 

She hoped so, anyway. 

Rey was also aware that it probably wouldn’t be her who would anger him the next time around. There was a very real undercurrent of resentment that rolled through the personnel of the compound and presumably the rest of the population. They’d had plenty of time to digest what had happened, and it appeared that anger had set in at how quickly they’d rolled over and presented their own people up on a silver platter to an alien in a mask. If— _ When _ Kylo Ren returned . . . it would not be so easy to pry another girl from the grips of the people who had almost lost them the first time. 

“You can see Mr. Masterson, now,” a voice called from in front of her.

Rey opened her eyes and found the woman from before in the bio-hazard suit standing in the doorway. 

She got up and made her way over. “Thank you.”

The doctor nodded. “Not a problem, Miss Gillespie. I didn’t introduce myself earlier, but I am Doctor Marina Patel. I’m working with Mister Fallinger overseeing your stay here.”

The woman held her hand out and Rey stared at it for a few seconds before she remembered to shake Dr. Patel’s hand. The doctor didn’t say anything but Rey could read the confusion in her mind. 

“I’m sorry,” Rey said. “No one really shakes hands . . . out there,” she added.

Patel nodded and the pair of them went out into the hall. “Good to know,” the other woman commented, and Rey was aware that she was actually making a mental note of it.

After going through a few winding corridors, Rey was shown into a small room that would have caused her claustrophobia to act up if the glass partition didn’t show a larger room beyond. And the person who sat on the other side . . .

“James!” she said with a smile as she came forward. James picked up the phone on his side and Rey quickly picked up hers as well.

There were very real tears in his eyes as he gazed at her. She could feel his relief and happiness to see her alive. Flashes of Poe ran through her friend’s mind. They’d discussed having a funeral for her, but had decided to wait. They’d both held out hope that she’d come back someday. She gave him a small smile as he reached out rested his hand on the glass.

“Rey. I—I can’t believe it’s you,” he said, and she reached out to touch the cool surface as well.

“I told you I’d be back,” she said, swallowing down the wellspring of emotion. There had been a time when she hadn’t thought to see James again. She’d thought that she’d outlive them all and return to a long dead family. But she was _here._ _They_ were here.

“You’re running a little late, girlfriend,” James said after a beat of silence.

Rey let out a startled laugh. “I got stuck in traffic,” she answered and it was an old joke, but still good enough to garner a smile.

He didn’t ask her how she was doing. He was smart enough to know that if she wanted to talk about it, she would bring it up herself. Rey didn’t want to burden James with everything—not yet—not when every facial twitch and sound was being recorded and analyzed. 

So instead, she smiled. “I hope they didn’t rough you up or anything.”

James shook his head. “I was pulled over on the way to meet you and then escorted here. They wouldn’t tell me much when I got here. They gave me twenty questions and ran all kinds of background checks before they’d let me see you.” He pointed to the phone and glass, his eyes on her white scrubs. “What’s going on?”

He was worried about her. This wasn’t the reunion any of them envisioned.

Rey sighed. “They want to make sure I’m not carrying a plague or something, which I can’t exactly blame them for. I’m gonna be in here for thirty days.”

His eyes widened.“Thirty days? That’s like  _ forever!” _

She shrugged. “Not quite but close. It’s not so bad—at least not yet. They even got me a Whopper from the king of burgers.”

James rolled his eyes “You and your stomach. I hope they have a treadmill in this place, cause you’re gonna need it.”

Rey couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her. He was right—or at least he had been. It was no secret to her close friends and family that Rey could down more than her fair share of food, especially fast food. It was also no secret that she’d had to jog miles every day to keep herself in shape. But she had the nanites now, and even with her rather sedentary lifestyle on Takodana, she’d never gained an ounce. 

That probably explained why she’d never seen anything resembling a bathroom scale during her travels, she realized absently. They spoke to one another for just under two hours and it was mostly shallow and harmless. He filled her in on the events of some of their favorite shows and gossiped about her old co-workers—who was banging who, who had been fired, the Hunger Games between employees for her job when her position remained vacant for more than a month.

“Girl, it was a bloodbath,” he said and she laughed at the imagery.

Eventually Dr. Patel appeared again. “I hate to cut this short but the base is going into lockdown for the night.”

Rey nodded and turned back to James. “I’ll see you later.”

He looked from the woman back to Rey suspiciously. “Do you want me to come back tomorrow?” James didn’t trust these people as far as he could throw them, but since it had made the news already that she’d returned, no one dared to do anything.

She shook her head. “No, I don’t want you to miss any more work because of me. Come on your next day off.”

James nodded and they said their goodbyes through the glass before she left him standing there.

She followed Dr. Patel through the endless white halls and their journey was silent until the woman spoke. “Your brother will be back in the states in the morning so he’ll be here to see you first thing.”

Rey blinked and her steps halted. Patel turned back to face her and Rey gave her a hesitant look. “In the morning? He’ll be here in the morning?” she asked.

Dr. Patel nodded and Rey let out a shuddering breath. This wasn’t a dream or a Force-damned vision. She really was back.

Her eyes slid back to the doctor’s. “Can . . . I mean—James was behind the glass—but Poe . . . can you give him a suit so I can . . . touch him?”

The woman thought it over for a second. Rey was tempted to slip into her mind, remove any doubt that she held about helping Rey. It would be so easy . . . but no. Doctor Patel wasn’t out to hurt her. She’d done nothing wrong. 

Rey pulled away from her fully as the woman nodded.“I’ll try,” she said and Rey thanked her.

Things were quiet again as she entered her room and the door was locked behind her. The silence was deafening, but it wasn't until the lights went out that things changed. She’d held herself together so well at first. It started with trembling hands and then heavy breathing before finally degenerating into her screams. The darkness. It wanted her. It was swallowing her up.

_ I’m coming for you _ . . .

She shook her head in the blackness as she walked slowly along the walls looking for something—anything to get the lights back on. “No!”

All at once, light filled the room again and she slid to ground, bracing herself to be thrown back onto Ord Canfre. Her entire body shuddered as a hand clamped on her shoulder.

“Rey!” came an urgent voice.

She shrank further into herself. “I don’t want to die!” she said with a sob.

The crunching sound of a bio suit roared in her ears like that of her fall to the planet.

“You’re not gonna die,” the voice said.

It lied. He wanted to kill her. The burning eyes promised nothing but pain and death. His last words to her echoed through her mind.  _ Grishn’a chopntegrin stajen dega’ah!  _

“He wants me dead,” she whimpered. “He  _ hates _ me for not being the one! I should have died.”

Bright yellow arms encircled her and the faceplate of the bio suit pressed against the side of her face. “You’re not dead, and you’re not going to die. He’s not here, Rey. He can’t hurt you. He won’t ever hurt you again.”

She blinked and looked up finally, her gaze moving to the woman beyond the suit. 

“Breath Rey,” she said, taking a deep breath herself with Rey mimicked.

“Marina—” came another voice from the other side of the room.

Dr. Patel’s eyes never wavered as she helped Rey to calm down, but she did grit out, “Shut  _ up, _ Mack.”

Rey eventually was able to look up and see Fallinger staring at her from the doorway, his eyes on the way she clutched at the doctor, her tear stained face, and he was all the more fascinated by her. She didn’t want it and her jaw clenched.

_ Go . . . _

Fallinger said nothing more as he turned and walked back out of the room.

“Mack!” the doctor called, but he ignored her.

Patel turned back to her. “Rey. I’m going to go get someone for you. I’ll leave the lights on.”

She nodded and watched the doctor leave. Therapy, she’d said. Lots and  _ lots _ of therapy.

Rey didn’t sleep that night. Another man in a bio suit sat with her on the ground for hours talking to her, pulling every gritty moment of the early days from her. He asked if what she felt now compared in any way to her childhood and she’d been unable to answer . . . unable to relive the basement of her foster family’s home.

“I’m fine now,” she said after hours of speaking and when exhaustion had finally set in.

The man shook his head. “You’re not fine, Rey. You’ve been through some pretty serious trauma, and coping is not the same as being okay.”

Her eyes slid from the man to the camera that watched her to Fallinger’s mind as he soaked up everything he could about her. His interest in the stars had waned now that he was seeing the toll it had taken on the ‘adventurer’. She snorted.

By the next morning, she was sitting on her bed and the psychologist was gone. Fallinger and Patel were briefing some senate committee members on the other side of the base about her. Old withering things that wanted what was inside of her.

If they wanted it so bad, they could waddle their asses out into space and let some psycho in a mask assault  _ them, _ cause that was their only option at this point. Her lightsaber was being presented to them, and a military general coveted the weapon but he didn’t dare try to handle it. One of the scientists had ignited it the day before, and it had cut right through a table before being dropped to the ground. One false move and one could lose a limb. She longed to feel the cool metal in her hands, but she couldn’t retrieve it. Not yet.

Poe was also there. Her thumbs moved about nervously as she waited while he was briefed. They thought they were being subtle in their questions of him, but Poe knew the game far too well to give anything but the vaguest of answers. Rey followed his presence through the base, but did not allow any recognition to show until the knock sounded on the door. 

She looked up as the door opened. “Poe!” she yelled as she jumped from the bed and all but threw herself at the bio-hazard suited man. He’d held something in his hand, but it dropped soundly onto the table beside the door as he caught her.

“Rey! Oh my God,” he said as he pulled her close. The plastic of his suit crunched as she held on to him. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” he whispered.

Tears gathering her eyes. She hadn’t thought she’d ever see him again either. Everything she’d worked for had lead up to this moment—Being home with the person who cared the most about her. Everything else she could deal with so long as she had her brother.

“I missed you so much,” she said as she pulled away to get a better look at him. The little window of his suit was transparent, but it was still hard to see everything through the film. She spotted a few grey hairs that hadn’t been there before. They streaked like silver comets through his dark hair, and there were perhaps a few more lines around his eyes. But his expression was still the same warm and welcoming sight.

He smiled and it was just as wide and energetic as it had been before. “I missed you too, little sister. Don’t do that to me again, okay?” he said. She could hear how upset he was, even through the happiness that saturated his mind, and she nodded against his chest.

“I’ll endeavour to not be kidnapped again," she said with her own watery smile as she felt the rubber of his gloves on her cheek. He looked her over, picking out the similarities and differences in her features.

“You’re looking horrible,” he said and she blinked rapidly. He shouldn’t be able to see that. The nanites . . .

Rey sagged a bit against him and couldn’t stop her nod. “Yeah,” she said, her forehead coming back to rest on his shoulder.

He continued to hold on to her. “It all happened so fast,” he said. “I was sitting in the mess and then there was a call for stand-by. People were saying there was some kind of invasion, but no one was sure, and I didn’t see the broadcast . . . Not until you were already gone.”

He seemed so lost at the idea, as though he still was unsure how to process what had happened. She saw flashes inside his mind of the news playing the scene of her abduction over and over. He’d seen footage of the incident from every angle, from HD cable news to grainy cellphone instagram videos. He’d studied the image of her that Kylo Ren had held in his hand, looking at it for differences, hoping she wasn’t the one and that she’d return.

“I wasn’t . . .” she began before hesitating. “He picked the wrong girl. He left me somewhere, and it was hard but I came back as fast as I could.”

He pulled away slightly and picked up the tablet from the table. He had questions, she knew, some of which were put to him by Fallinger and the psychologist from before. He brought her over to the narrow bed, and they sat down together. The tablet was placed beside him, out of sight, but far from ‘out of mind’. 

He smiled. “I got to see your ship. Not exactly your style these days,” he said jokingly.

It was a far cry from the sleek sports car she’d been eyeing before the event. “Yeah it’s a bit of junk heap, but it gets from point A to point B and has air conditioning. Can even hit zero to lightspeed in three point two seconds.” 

Poe’s smile was all teeth. “My little sister, a pilot. After all the times you swore you’d never learn to fly,” he said.

“Flying through space is somehow easier,” she said. “There’s not really any turbulence or fear of falling out of the sky. There’s just you and the dark of space.”

“Seems harder,” Poe said thoroughly. “There’s a certain feeling of security that comes with knowing where the ground is,” he added.

“I can see how it wouldn’t be for everyone,” she said, “But I guess I just got used to it.”

“Seems like you got used to a lot of things,” he said as he picked up the tablet.

Rey couldn’t help bracing herself for the impending torrent of questions that Fallinger thought she was more likely to answer to her brother than himself. He was probably right.

“You took up painting again,” Poe said as the first image flashed on the screen. 

She nodded, eyeing the image of Kord’s beautiful indigo skin and lekku against the backdrop of space aboard her yacht. She reclined on the built-in sofa and held a glass of some fancy drink or another, but her expression had been one of deep thought after her last meeting with Lady Hux. Rey rarely saw Kord with any expression other than her usual effervescent joy with her life. That day, Rey hadn’t dared to intrude on her friend’s thoughts, instead, she’d committed the expression to memory and painted her.

“It’s beautiful, Rey,” he said, his eyes on the strange being that looked so human but still so alien.

She’d never shown this painting to Kord and she’d never hung it up, but when her friend was away, she’d gaze at it occasionally to remind herself that in this vast galaxy, there were people who loved her and she wasn’t alone.

“That’s my friend, Kord Mondrechia. She’s a fashion designer from the same commune I was in. We did a tour around the galaxy so she could visit clients. I did this while we were aboard her ship,” Rey said and she hesitated a beat before adding, “I wouldn’t be here right now if not for her.”

He continued to look at the painting, a strange sort of expression on his face. “It’s rare for you to make friends like that,” he said.

“Kord’s wouldn’t have it any other way,” Rey said with a shrug.

He looked back up at her, his eyes searching. “Maybe I can meet her someday,” he said.

Rey blinked for a second before she smiled. Her first real smile of true happiness on this planet. “I’d love that.”

He swiped his finger over the glass and another of her paintings materialized, this one of FN-2187 and his squad. They sat together around one of the tiny tables outside Drink Night back on Ord Canfre. Their helmets were scattered on the table and on other chairs while they drank after a long shift. Nines had ‘87 in a headlock while the other laughed. Rey looked back up and met Poe’s gaze. She could read his questions without reading his mind.

“They’re human, aren’t they, Rey,” he said quietly

It wasn’t a question, but she nodded nonetheless. “Yes, they’re human. That’s FN-2187 with his squad,” she said, pointing to the squad leader.

“FN . . . That’s not a name.”

Rey shook her head. “It was his designation as a child and he never took another name.”

He wanted to ask her about these men that were clearly the same type of soldiers that had accompanied Kylo Ren, but there was a far more pressing question on his mind. 

“Why are they human?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know.” It was a subject she’d deliberately avoided because of what it could mean for the people of Earth is she ever returned. “I don’t know why. I didn’t delve too deeply into the history of why there are so many humans, but around seventy percent of the galactic population is human.”

He nodded, his eyes still on the happy picture before his finger glided over the glass one more time.

“And who is this?” Poe asked.

Rey blinked down at the dark image, so different from her others and a subject that she tried to avoid. Many people had asked her about this painting and she’d always given the same answer.  _ Her nightmare. _

It took her a few minutes to work up the ability to put a name to the face that haunted her. “That’s Kylo Ren,” she whispered.

It was as though all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room and everything was still and quiet for a fraction of a second. Fallinger was already processing the revelation from the other room along with the doctors that stood with him watching. Kylo Ren was human and now they had a face to go along with the name and the mask.

Poe pulled the table back towards him. “That’s— _that’s him?_ _That’s_ the bastard who took you?” he asked as his eyes darted over the image as if trying to memorize every detail. He was committing every line, every mark on his skin to memory. 

She put her hand on his arm. “Don’t, Poe. It’s not important anymore.”

He turned back to meet her eyes. “The hell it isn’t. Everything changed the day you were taken. Nothing’s the same anymore— _ you’re _ not the same.”

Rey pulled away from him. “Of course I’m not. I wasn’t away at summer camp, Poe.” 

He gritted his teeth before shutting the device down and dropping it back onto the bed beside him. He turned back and took her hands back into his. His eyes were intent and she knew she wasn’t going to like whatever he was about to say.

“I was thinking I could apply for early discharge. My CO said that given the circumstances, he didn’t think it would be hard to get approval. Then I can stay with you for a while when you get out of here,” he said.

Rey shook her head. “No, Poe. You love being a pilot. You love the Navy. I’m fine. And I’ll be even better once my thirty days are up.” She quickly changed the subject. “Speaking of which, I don’t suppose my condo is still available?”

She knew it wasn’t. James had been somewhat tight lipped on the subject, not wanting to bring down her mood by telling her that her dream home that she’d been so proud of was long gone. Best to get it out of the way with Poe quickly. It was getting hard to keep track of all the information she  _ should  _ and  _ should not _ know.

Poe deflated a tiny bit. “Yeah, I—I’m sorry. I waited a few months but I couldn’t afford the mortgage payment—not on my salary.”

Rey nodded understandingly. She was only happy that she’d thought to have power of attorney paperwork drawn up years before any of this had happened. Back when she’d first gotten hired and had access to the advertising firm’s legal services at a discount. 

“It’s okay, Poe,” she said, though she pursed her lips before adding, “I hope you got good money for it, though.”

He looked mildly unsure for a second before nodding. “Lots of people wanted your place, which I thought was kind of strange, but I got way over the asking. The money’s been put into a trust, and I never tried to have you declared deceased so everything is in an account for you. I sold the furniture but everything else is in a storage unit.” He paused a moment before continuing. “Except your TV, James took that.”

She laughed with him.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Mack took special care to speak to Rey every day since she’d arrived at the compound. It wasn’t to fill her time—her brother and Mr. Masterson seemed to take turns coming to see her—but it was for her benefit. She hadn’t had a chance to adjust to being back on Earth, yet, however he was doing his best to educate her on the state of the planet and its politics since the event.

Her brother and friend seemed to dance around the subject, not wanting to burden her, but Rey would be walking into a minefield when she left the relative safety of the base. There were those that he worked with that thought that she should be kept indefinitely—that her apparent trauma would present a PR nightmare later on.

They’d all seen the video of her meltdown the first night, heard her words as she spoke to the psychologist on the floor about what had really happened after she’d been taken. This man, Kylo Ren had tortured her and then abandoned her.

For all that she’d been through, Rey didn’t looked terribly different than she had a year ago. Her hair was longer and she was perhaps a bit thinner, but superficially, there was little change. However, Mack had spent time with her before she’d left and even he could tell something was different—something that transcended the physical.

He could tell that her brother and friend had picked up on it as well, though both denied it. Her interests and mannerisms were not quite the same as they’d been. She was trying to be the person she’d been before but her experiences had changed her and Mack could see the struggle within her over her own identity.

Mack’s eyes moved from the monitor where he watched her to the pile of photos that sat on the table. Ren’s dark eyes stared back at him. This was how she saw him, the Supreme Ruler of a galactic empire. He was beautiful and yet untouchable in his ice cold expression and the darkness that surrounded him.

No one was really sure what to do with the information that Ren would return looking for another girl. How would the people of the planet deal with being forced to hand over yet another girl, who may be forced to go through the same thing as Reyna Gillespie—or possibly worse.  There were leaks here and there about what had happened to her, but nothing concrete had been announced and every tidbit of juicy gossip was being feasted upon by ravenous wolves. Rey’s life was being put under a microscope outside the compound and every detail of her history was being made into nightly news banter.

How had she survived her ordeal? How had she returned?

Mack had thoroughly researched every girl who’d gone to the Eiffel Tower that day and Reyna Gillespie’s file had read like an American Dream pamphlet—the surface of it anyway. They’d almost all been average girls living average lives, but Rey had come from nothing, quite literally. 

She’d bounced around foster care for years before being granted emancipation at sixteen. Her records were sealed, for now, but it would come out eventually. The ‘family’ she’d been with were thankfully keeping their mouths shut, even in the face of all the monetary offers they were no doubt receiving. Mack’s lips twisted as he thought back to those foul and odious people. They’d been cowed easily enough with the right threats, but secrets always had a way of surfacing at the most inopportune times. 

He held up another of the photos, one of Rey and her brother Poe when she’d been just a teenager. Her smile was wide and bright, something he’d yet to see in person. It was her birthday and he could tell from the pictures that they hadn’t had a lot of money to spend, but they both looked so happy sitting there on a couch eating cupcakes with cheap cardboard birthday hats on their heads.

She wore a thin white t-shirt that read ‘Lewin’s Diner’ in a loud primary colored design so the photo would have been taken after she moved in with Dameron, but before he’d joined the military as an enlisted man.

Mack’s eye twitched at the thought of Poe Dameron. He was older than Rey by more than a few years, but they’d stayed close after he’d aged out of the foster care system. He’d taken care of her when her foster family did not, and she loved him enough to walk through hell to return to him. 

_ What did that kind of devotion feel like? _ he wondered. Theirs wasn’t a romantic love, that much had become obvious, even before Dr. Patel glared at him for suggesting otherwise. Poe Dameron was an accomplished officer of the navy—a respected man who had cared for a sister that was brought to him by fate rather than blood. He’d used his salary from the navy to help pay for her schooling when she’d entered college while he was working his way up the ranks and procuring a commission to attend an officer’s academy to become a naval pilot. 

With his support, she’d gone on to graduate with a double major in marketing and art history and had been hired right out of school as a junior marketing exec. By the time Kylo Ren had come around, she was a higher up at her firm with a nice home and everything going for her. Mack was honest enough with himself to know she would never get back what she’d had before. Not entirely. The shadow of this would always linger over her.

His gaze moved back to the security monitor, where it so often rested these days. Rey was sitting on her bed, still as a rock with her eyes closed and her hands folded in her lap. She seemed to be meditating, a practice he’d seen her partake in more and more as the days and weeks had gone by. There was a large flat screen television in there for her and a tablet with limited internet access, but neither of those seemed to interest her more than an hour or two a day. When she wasn’t being visited by her friend James or her brother, she was in this position on the bed.

He continued to watch her, looking for any deviation from pixel to pixel, but there was none. She didn’t even seem to breathe. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the position from  _ that book. _ Rey hadn’t brought much with her from her travels apart from pictures on her phone—certainly not as much as his bosses wished she had—but buried amongst her belongings had been an item that was even now being studied intensely. 

The book had been old and appeared to be some kind of journal. While no one could actually read anything written inside, they were able to derive at least a few things from the sketches inside. Most were of forms—for meditation and for combat. The men and women in the drawings seemed to wield some kind of external power . . . along with lightsabers.

He’d asked her about it, of course, and she’d confirmed some of their expert’s conclusions and disavowed others. The book had belonged to a boy, a student of a religious order called the Jedi. She’d pointed to the emblem on the cover, a circle motif of wings and a star, that was embossed into the leather as she’d explained that they were advisors, warriors and generals for a fallen government now known as the Old Republic.

She wielded a weapon used by this group, and carried a book written by one of their own, so of course he had to ask, “And how did you come by your weapon—this . . . lightsaber?”

Rey had shrugged, her expression passive and board. “Found it in an antique shop under a bunch of rubbish. I thought it was interesting so I bought it,” she said before leaning back in her chair. “The book came with it,” she added with a shrug.

Mack eyed the young woman suspiciously. “But you kept it on your person—learned how to use it.”

She nodded. “Sure, blasters are a regulated weapon that you can only get with proper paperwork from the empire. The lightsaber is old tech from a religion that no one follows anymore. It’s short range and therefore unregulated so I don’t need a special license to have one.”

Rey seemed so nonchalant and her explanation sounded so plausible that he might have bought it if not for the look in her eye. This old order, these . . .  _ Jedi Knights _ and the teachings in the book. She followed it more closely than she was letting on. Whether she’d become some kind of religious zealot during her travels or not, he didn’t know . . . but Mack wanted very much to find out. Many of their conversations had gone on in such ways as he ferreted out every detail of her journey for further research. 

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Dr. Patel enter the room. She came to stand beside him, and he flinched ever so slightly in surprise.

She tilted her head curiously. “How long has she been doing that?” Patel asked, eyeing the perfectly still woman.

Mack shrugged nonchalant. “She does it a couple hours a day. She said she’d taken up some kind of Twi’lek style yoga.” The liaison didn’t know why he never reported the similarity in her meditations to those from the religious text, but she wasn’t doing anything wrong and he didn’t want the give his bosses any excuse to hold her longer than thirty days.

Patel nodded before moving off towards her desk, and Mack turned away from the monitor and looked over at her. She held a tablet in her hand, but it was her pensive expression as she paged through the results of whatever it was she was testing for that caught his attention. She looked equal parts confused and intrigued at whatever she was reading.

“What do you have there?” he asked after it became clear that she wouldn’t share without prompting.

Patel looked up at him for a second before handing the tablet over for him to read. His fingers swiped through the various documents, but there was far too much scientific jargon for him to understand.

“What does it mean?”

Marina snorted as she sat down on a stool and looked over towards the monitors, her eyes assessing the still form of their charge. “Preliminary results from the labs on those . . . nanites in her blood.”

When she didn’t continue and instead kept her eyes on Rey, Fallinger asked, “Are they what she says they are?”

The question seemed to snap Patel out of her thoughts, and she nodded. “Yes. But they’re more than that.”

His eyes narrowed. “How so?”

She took the tablet back and pulled up a few images for him to look at. The original image of the nanites was there along with new images of the same cell over the last two weeks. The nanites were gone within hours of discovery but the cell was unchanged. 

Patel’s voice was soft and considering. “They are not only preventing attachment by viral and bacterial pathogens but they are also modifying her cells.”

That didn’t sound good. “She’s mutating?”

The doctor nodded half-heartedly. “In a sense. Her cells aren’t going through mitosis correctly. When the body is ready to shed an excess cell, certain hormones are released triggering cell death so that a new one can take its place. Not only are the cells taking far longer to pass through mitosis, but without that trigger, the cells aren’t dying.”

Mack’s eyes snapped back down to the paperwork and the images. “How is that possible?”

Marina shrugged. “In all honestly I don’t see anyone on Earth being able to answer that question for several hundred years. The nanites, themselves completely deactivate and begin breaking down after leaving her body, we think as some kind of protective failsafe. We’re only really able to see the aftermath of the changes they’ve made to her cells because they are still ongoing.”

“What does that mean for her?”

The doctor smiled. “It means she’s going to be around for a long time. Anyone with these nanites will be around far longer than the average human lifespan.”

Mack shot her a look of disbelief. “Are we talking an artificial fountain of youth? Immortality?”

Marina shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. She’ll age and die, but rather than seventy to eighty years, we could be talking about hundreds of years. Anyone injected with blank nanites would have the same reaction.”

He turned that over in his head. “Kylo Ren,” he said finally. “The painting she made of him was a younger man but she said the Supreme Ruler had taken power hundred of years ago. I just assumed it was a hereditary title passed down. But . . .”

Dr. Patel finished his thought for him. “It’s more than possible that the Kylo Ren who came here has been ruling over the vast majority of the galaxy for the last couple of centuries,” she said.

He hadn’t imagined something like this—couldn’t imagine anyone living for so long in absolute power. He’d shown up wearing a mask and had threatened an entire planet to secure one girl. A girl who wasn’t even the right one, apparently. Still . . .

“And you said they broke down after leaving her body?” he asked.

She nodded before grabbing another file from her desk and handed it over. “Yes, which presents another problem.”

He took the file. “What problem?” he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. He flipped through the documentation of experimental proceedings as the country’s leading engineers tried to figure out how Rey’s ship worked. Most of the experimentation didn’t seem to yield much success.

Marina didn’t seem as impressed by this as by the nanites. “The ship she came in has some kind of locking mechanism. It’s keyed to a specific signature—Biological, we think, but not just her cells, the nanites. Even though the thing is clearly a junker, we can’t make heads or tails of the technology. We don’t know how it’s powered or how the engine works but it seems to only respond in the presence of active nanites.”

Mack nodded and handed the file back. “So that’s useless too.”

She shrugged again. “It looks like the creators of the tech are not fans of theft or reverse engineering and took steps to eliminate any possibility of us or anyone else stealing their stuff. Without her, it’s all useless.”

Mack never thought he’d have to deal with a galactic version of anti-piracy safeguards and car alarms. He sighed in annoyance and pinched the bridge of his nose. “The president is interested in knowing more about what’s out there. How are we supposed to do that without being able to use the tech?”

Dr. Patel snorted. “Well, have you considered asking her to be a guide? If she can get a few of our people out there, get them those nanites, maybe another ship? . . . Miss Gillespie was dumped on a desert planet but she was able to escape and get herself a vessel and make it back here. If anyone knows the lay of the galactic land, it’s her.”

Mack nodded. “I’ll take it to the president.” He continued to look over the report and didn’t see Rey’s eyes slide open and turn towards the camera.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, despite being 7K, that there wasn't a whole lot of movement with the plot in this chapter, but I promise there is important stuff going on in here that will lead into other things in the future, not in the least of which is to keep establishing that Rey is not alright. She probably won't ever really be alright and that will factor into her decisions later. I hope I'm not beating a dead horse with that, but in the original draft of this, it was there in the beginning, but then never really mentioned again unless it was convenient to the plot. I really didn't want her problems to go unmentioned so I amped it up on this second draft. If ya'll want less, let me know.
> 
> I also really like this chapter because this is the first time we're seeing what's happening from the POV of someone besides Rey and Kylo. There will be more of that in the future as our main players make a more prominent appearance. It also seemed like you guys were really excited to see Poe and James again. My strengths don't really lie with happy stuff, but I hope I made their reintroduction into the story alright.
> 
> Faceclaims for Dr. Marina Patel and Mack Fallinger are Nandita Das and Ryan Gosling(dark-haired), respectively.
> 
> Lastly, updates will be on Mondays from now on. My class schedule this semester makes it much harder for me to keep up with my updates for Fridays. I hope this is alright with you guys. Chapter 27 will pop up next Monday on Feb 6.


	27. Chapter 27

Gilas’s mind had been more difficult to break than Kylo would have thought. What he’d found still hadn’t given him cause for alarm . . . Yet. Gilas was, at best a paid informant—barely worth acknowledging, but he’d need to tread carefully. The chagrian knew something,  something besides the comm coordinates of his handler. Ferreting out a Resistance cell while not letting on about his interest . . . it was a delicate balance. 

The chagrian had a natural immunity to mind tricks so he’d had to resort to more . . . physical means of getting answers to his questions. Gilas hadn’t wanted to talk, of course. Aiding the Resistance was treason and grounds for revocation of his status as a citizen if he was convicted. Removal of the spectrum nanites was a death sentence and he knew it.

He hoped to remain silent and he was convinced that if he held out, he’d eventually be let go. Hux was taking great pleasure in disabusing him of the notion as the blue sentient’s blood poured onto the grated floor. The general was quite an accomplished torturer. He sliced, burned, and dug into flesh as though he were creating his own painting. He was deaf to the screaming, sweat, and tears of the chagrian, except when a particularly high pitched holler had him cringing. He would then stuff Gilas’s mouth with his own shredded soiled clothes and keep going. 

Kylo Ren watched placidly from the corner, a glass of red wine from Corellia sitting beside him. FN-2187 stood beside him, his nausea at the sight threatening to overwhelm him. Kylo used mild mind tricks to ease the sickness, lest 2187 vomit right there in the room. The Supreme Ruler could have completely blocked the feeling from ‘87, but he didn’t. Part of the ex-’trooper’s charm was his almost innocent reactions to various things. No, he liked 2187 just as he was.

There was a need, however, for 2187 to stay and see the consequences that would be born by those who posed a threat to the light exemplar. The ex-’trooper would worry occasionally about his decision to work so closely with the Supreme Ruler to find Reyna. But now, ‘87 would always know that it was  _ Kylo Ren _ who would protect her.

He allowed a slow smile to grace his lips. She would be so impressed with his abilities and the lengths he would go to keep her and her planet safe from their enemies.

Hux picked up another of his tools, his hands already covered in the blue-green blood of the art-dealer. “You’re in so much pain,” he whispered as he sliced the tip of one of Gilas’s fingers off.

It wasn’t a large chunk of flesh, but it was enough that the sentient let out a high-pitched shriek in response. The sound was muffled by the rag currently hanging damp and stained out of his mouth.  

Hux moved his favorite instrument from one finger to the other, digging the tip in. “So far, I’ve kept most of your wounds superficial. They can be healed by a few days in a bacta tank, but our Supreme Ruler has run out of patience. No matter what you do or do not say, you will be conscripted. There is no escape from that. You will never have the full use of that finger again—perhaps not any of them before we’re finished, but you don’t need to be able to type to  _ die _ for the empire. Perhaps I will do the conscription magistrate a favor and saw off your horns today. I’ve heard they are a point of pride for your people . . . and that the nerves in the center are quite sensitive.”

Gilas’s blue eyes were blown wide as he let out another harsh scream just as Hux dug his blade into another finger. The second chunk hit the floor with a soft thud and Kylo heard ‘87 let out a dry heave. Hux started in on a third finger when Kylo spoke again.

“He’s probably ready to talk,” Kylo said absently.

Hux snorted. “I need some compensation for the fact that you dragged me down here to interrogate this miscreant myself. We have droids for this.”

The Supreme Ruler chuckled. “They don’t have your flare for the dramatic.”

Hux finally turned and their eyes met. Kylo could read how thirsty Hux was for blood and violence. His complaints were only a token protest and Kylo’s smile widened as the general finally turned back and yanked the rag from the prisoner's mouth.

Gilas made harsh choking sounds and his bloody tongue hung out a bit before Hux picked up a cup of water from the table behind him. He tipped the chagrian’s head back and dumped the water down his throat. Gilas coughed and spluttered even as he swallowed and rolled the liquid around his dry mouth.

Hux leaned in. “Tell me what I want to know and it all stops.”

Gilas tried to shake his head, but Hux held him fast and continued. “I am enjoying this far too much to be tired. I’ve only used a fraction of the tools at my disposal. You have been around a few hundred years, I suppose, but I’ve been drawing the truth out of snivelling wretches like yourself for longer than you’ve been  _ alive. _ Now . . .  _ Give me the name.” _

Kylo could see the second that the trembling man broke and he sat back as Gilas finally spoke. “Snap Wexley!” he said in a loud heaving voice. 

‘87 was already searching through the imperial database for the person in question and Kylo left him to it as he got up. Gilas met his eyes and even with his shielded thoughts, Kylo could read the  _ seething hatred _ the man held for him. His eyes narrowed as his hand came up to dig into Gilas’s mottled and blood-stained flesh. His fingers sank through the sliced up skin and into the muscle below. 

“You could have simply told us that hours ago and saved yourself the pain,” he said, his voice deceptively light.

The chagrian’s teeth ground together in pain. “Even with Wexley, you’ll never get all of us.”

Kylo’s smile was all teeth. “Us?” he asked with a laugh. “You’re barely anything to the Resistance. Even I can see that.”

Gilas, it seemed wished to die for his cause. “I don’t need to be anything but one thorn in a thicket of vines. We will choke the life from you and  _ your empire,” _ he said in disgust.

Kylo released the man and he could hear the faint sounds of blood dripping from his gloved fingertips to the floor. “This is personal for you,” he said, a note of curiosity entering his tone. He stepped closer, his hands coming up to fully encompass Gilas’s skull. “I need to know.”

He’d barely begun breaching the walls around Gilas’s mind when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face Hux, his expression agitated, even as the general’s eyes widened and his breath caught. The general said nothing for a few seconds and Kylo was about to shake the other man off when Hux finally spoke up. 

“Kylo. If you do this, his mind will be shattered. Think of your exemplar,” he said.

The Supreme Ruler blinked at his friend several times, his hands trembling as he released the art-dealer. Gilas reared back as he looked upon Kylo’s face . . . his eyes.

“You are a sith!” he yelled. “General Organa was right about you—” 

Hux stuffed the rag back in his mouth, silencing his ravings. Kylo backed away and hastily strode towards the door and out of the room. The corridor beyond was empty and quiet as he stood there. Hux and ‘87 followed him out and stood with him as he got himself under control.

2187 was by his side, his hands coming up to touch Kylo’s chin and jaw. “I’ve got you,” he said and Kylo swallowed as he nodded.

“I’m sorry,” he said, meeting the ex-’trooper’s dark eyes. “I know I—not long ago, but . . . I need you,” he said.

‘87 nodded. “I’ll wait for you in your quarters,” he said before departing.

Kylo watched him go and took another steadying breath. He’d nearly destroyed the chagrian, just like . . . Kylo grimaced at the memory of the twi’lek. Think of his exemplar, indeed.

Hux leaned in, his words quiet, despite their solitude. “She has gone to back to Earth. I know you wished to give her time to heal and perhaps forgive you, but it’s been more than a year since you were with her. The effects are wearing off.”

Kylo swallowed. “I have it under control.”

Hux shook his head. “How long can you continue to use him? How long before even that won’t stave off the deterioration?”

He turned away. “As long as I can hold out,” he said.

* * *

Rey sat on her bed, feeling around the base, examining the thoughts of the men and women who worked there. Many were still afraid of what her presence could mean for the future of the planet but there were also those who were fascinated by the possibilities she presented—perfect health and long life, space travel, humans all over the galaxy living side by side with sentients. There was also the palpable fear from many that she was lying—that she’d somehow escaped Kylo Ren and he would return, not to find another girl, but to level the planet in retaliation.

Their thoughts were ever changing with the the tides as new discoveries brought about excitement, before the price of the truth inevitably dragged them back to Earth—so to speak. They didn’t interest her much anymore. They had little in the way of power to help or hinder her. They were just noise in the background as she searched for a hidden mind amongst them. 

Mack had finally returned from D.C. and he was speaking with Dr. Patel. She hadn’t seen him in a few days, but then Washington politics was a slow business. Nothing ever got done there without several committees overseeing every step of every process. Fallinger’s mind was harder to differentiate from others with his natural shielding. She’d never seen anything like it, but then she hadn’t been around many Force-users who weren’t trying to kill or kidnap her.

If he did have some Force-sensitivity, it would go a long way towards explaining the odd relationship they’d been developing. The padawan’s journal had said that Force-users were naturally inclined to stay together—that they fed off of one-another’s power and connection. Spending time with Rey would increase Mack’s connection with the Force. By how much, she didn’t know, but they would be spending quite a bit of time together. If she could count on him as an ally, then that was not something she could turn from—not when everything was still so precarious.

She’d be out of quarantine in less than a week and the people outside were clamoring to see her—at least that’s what Poe and James had said. Apparently James had been at work when he’d received her first phone call and someone had overheard their conversation. That coupled with sightings of both James and her brother Poe coming and going from the air force base had clued everyone in.

Rey was aware that Mack and his bosses were trying to keep the entire thing under wraps at least until they could nail her down on what she’d say once she got out of there. Oh and her tech—they wanted to keep that too. When Mack had mentioned keeping the ship and lightsaber after she left for ‘further study’, she’d raised a brow in amusement.

“Is that really what you want to do?” she’d asked. “Steal my things?”

Mack had tried to play it off as nothing. “It’s not stealing if you leave them.”

“But I’m  _ not _ leaving them, so the only way you can keep them is to take them—and won’t that make for a teary-eyed interview on Good Morning America,” she said before pausing to sniffle dramatically. “I tried so hard to get back here, only for the government to take everything from me and leave me destitute!” she added with a faux sob.

A muscle in the liaison’s face had twitched. “Are you seriously threatening the US government?” he’d asked.

Her expression had immediately smoothed out. “I don’t know. Do you require threats to keep your paws off my shit?”

He’d snorted before dropping the subject all together. She didn’t know if he’d taken her words to heart, though it seemed that she would find out soon. He was pulling the biohazard suit on and he seemed to be in a pleasant mood. He had an offer for her—One he hoped Rey would accept.

She’d known it was coming and she’d had the last few days to think over it. Her options on this planet were limited unless she wanted to try making a living doing talk shows and crying about what happened to her on national tv twice a week. Maybe she’d write a book . . .

_ And cut out all the stuff involving Force planes and telepathy, _ she thought with a wry smile. Still, she had money set aside, not only from her own savings, but Poe had given her a statement of the account he kept for her. There was enough to get by for at least a few years, more if she were careful. 

And that’s if she even wanted to stay on Earth. 

Rey opened her eyes and looked around the stark white room. She’d come back for Poe—to tell him that she was still alive and alright. While she hadn’t exactly been willing to go to space originally and her first few months had been rough . . . She’d made friends out there, maybe even built a life for herself on Takodana. She could return and live the rest of her life in peace. No more struggling with the Force plane or worrying about Knights. She could go on trips with Kord every so often, and she had a ship now so she could visit Poe as well.

But Poe . . . Could she really leave him again?

The door to her room opened, and she shook off her thoughts. Rey looked up to meet Mack’s eyes as he entered. She offered him a small, half-smile as she got up from her bed and walked over to him. He placed a thick manila folder on the table and sat down.

“What can I do for you, Mack?” she asked as she slid into the other chair.

He opened the folder to reveal a stack of papers held together with a binder-clip. She recognized the presidential seal at the top along with NASA and the DOD. He turned the papers around and pushed them towards her. She raised a brow at him.

“What’s this?” she asked. “A little light reading?”

Mack’s face said he wasn’t buying her innocent act. “It’s a proposal of employment," he said.

She picked up the contract and began looking it over. It was almost a hundred pages of legal jargon. “I’m going to need someone else to look this over when I get out of here,” she said before looking up and meeting Mack’s gaze. “Anything in here that I’m not gonna like?”

The man’s jaw tightened before he gave a half nod. “It’s a long term commitment from you.”

She’d expected as much. “How long term?” Rey asked.

“Ten years.”

She raised a brow in surprise “That  _ is _ quite a while,” she said dubiously

Fallinger shrugged. “It’s a drop in the bucket for you and you know it,” he responded unsympathetically.

Rey couldn’t stop her snort. “I’m not living forever, here. Ten years is still  _ ten goddamn years.  _ And if I’m going to outlive my brother, I’m not exactly wild about spending a  _ decade _ of the time I have with him on call for the government.”

His head tilted as he assessed his options and what he’d been authorized to say to her. She had very little motivation to sign her life away to them, and they new it. They also knew her weakness.

She heard the echo of the words in his mind before he even spoke. “Your brother is currently on leave from his duties, but now that you’re about to be released, there is no reason for him not to return to the gulf. If, however, you decide to work with us, there is a position available to him as a military liaison to you.”

She glared at him. “Are you really going to use my brother to twist my arm like this?”

He sat back and both his brows went up in a mockery of innocent surprise. “I don’t know. Do I need to?” he asked, throwing her own words back at her.

_ Goddamn son of a bitch. _

He snorted when she didn’t answer, and she could feel how smug he was as he began speaking again. “You are going to be going on missions into space, mostly for data collection to see what we’re dealing with.”

They believed her for the most part, it seemed, but they needed more information to make informed decisions about how to move forward. But even with the overly cautious plan, she knew what path the people in power would eventually choose. It was simply not in their nature to look at the opportunities she was presenting and not capitalize on them. 

Rey sighed. There went her plans for a quiet life on Takodana. Still, as Mack said, ten years wasn’t  _ so _ long, not in the grand scheme of things. But it was enough time to get Poe out of the military, and perhaps she could convince him to leave the planet. If she could finagle a way to get him the injections herself and perhaps citizenship, then he could go anywhere he wanted.  _ He would love that, _ she thought. She’d take him to Ord Canfre and stop in Drink Night to see Maelin, Caladon, and Breeka.

She might also track down 2187. She wasn’t sure what she would do or say when  _ or if _ she found him, but she couldn’t abandon him either. Ten years wasn’t so long in terms of her lifespan, but it was plenty of time to let sleeping dogs lie.

“So just data collection—taking a couple people around to some of the border planets?” she asked, looking for verbal confirmation.

The liaison nodded. “For now. We’re starting small. We don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention—Not until we can defend ourselves.” He paused and seemed to hesitate before adding, “And, if you can get a few more small ships, that would be ideal.”

She raised a brow. “You can’t leave the uncharted zone. It’s not safe, so what are you going to do with those? Take joyrides around the solar system?”

Mack broke eye contact and that was all Rey needed to know. She let out a derisive laugh. “I get it. A few ships for now, but that’s just the beginning. They want more, don’t they. A new  _ fleet _ of ships.” She licked her lips. “Are you planning a war?”

The liaison seemed to finally regain his nerve as he met her eyes once more. “We plan to be ready if Kylo Ren or anyone else comes knocking again. This is not just about the US. This is a joint mission sanctioned by over thirty other countries.”

Rey shook her head. “We’re far into the uncharted zone. With the exception of Kylo Ren, no one else is interested in this planet. He’ll come here eventually and pick up the light exemplar and then that’s it—No more contact with anything outside our planet . . . And that may not be a bad thing.”

Mack gave her a long look. “You are going to live for hundreds of years. You can get in your ship and leave this planet and go wherever you want. You aren’t the only person who wants those privileges.”

She smiled. Oh it just got better and better. “So . . . ships  _ and _ the spectrum injection,” she said before shaking her head. “What you’re asking. I don’t know if it’s even feasible. We can maybe swing a few outdated freighters, but if the empire gets wind of a fleet being built even for a backwater planet like ours, I don’t know how they’ll respond. And the only place to get injections  _ is from _ the empire. They don’t offer that kind of volume without annexation.”

They both knew that annexation was a long shot, not only to even gain acceptance but to have that kind of thing approved on a planet as fractured as their own.

Fallinger, though, did not seem deterred. “Everything has a price,” he said. “It’s only a question of what you’re willing to pay for it.”

Rey sucked her teeth as she leaned forward. “There are more than seven  _ billion _ people on this planet. How are you going to get enough for everyone? Or will it just be for the privileged few?”

He obviously didn’t have an answer for her—at least not one she’d like. Still, he pressed on. “As I said, we’re starting small. And we’re not without resources to offer.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Platinum is valuable, but you’re still talking about seven billion injections.”

He tilted his head. “You and I both know that significant portions of the population wouldn’t accept it anyway. Too stuck in the past to accept the future,” he said derisively.

He was right, of course, but she didn’t like it. They were treading into dangerous territory with these ideas of a global fleet and long life the few who could afford it. 

She shook her head. “Going into the empire again . . . it’s more difficult than you would think. We aren’t talking about driving on an interstate and pulling over at the first exit to get gas. We can’t move freely among the core worlds or even the mid-rim without ID chips. I have transient status but no one else will have anything. It’s better that we stick closer to the outer rim where the rules aren’t followed so closely. But those planets tend to be poorer.”

Mack didn’t seem happy about that bit of information but he nodded anyway. “I’ll relay what you’ve said to the higher-ups,” he said before his expression turned slightly pained. “You should know that we’ve received hundreds of calls asking about you. You’ll need to do at least a few interviews so the public can hear what happened to you in your own words.”

Rey looked away. She was expecting as much. Poe would never complain about anything, but she’d seen the flashes of irritated memories of being accosted at the grocery store or even outside his home. Reporters were breathing down his neck for a comment on her well-being. James had been a bit more honest with her. Some of her former co-workers as well as people whom she’d had no contact with in more than a decade had come out of the woodwork like roaches eager for every crumb of attention.

She still wasn’t looking at Mack as she asked, “Have they dug up my foster records or the old man yet?”

Mack shook his head. “Those records are sealed, however unnamed sources have come out and spoken about your past . . . and the reasoning behind your emancipation.”

Weeks and months spent in the darkness . . . her knuckles turned white just thinking about it.

She shoved it down as far into herself as she could and took a steadying breath. “I’ll look this over and get back to you, but even if I don’t work for you, I still want my ship and my lightsaber back.”

“That’s a bit—”

Rey’s hand slammed down on the table, interrupting him. “I don’t care. I will blast it all over the airwaves that the government has stolen my property, something I busted my ass to buy myself so I could come all the way back here.”

Mack grimaced as he got up. “I’ll see what I can do.”

* * *

Kylo drew out of ‘87’s mind just as the  _ Defender _ reached Coruscant. The ship gave only the slightest tremble as it came to orbit the planet.

FN-2187 looked up at him as he panted. “Was that enough? Are you alright?” he asked.

The Supreme Ruler sighed as he pulled ‘87 close to him. “It’s enough. Any more and I might damage you.”

The junior officer nodded, and they stood in silence for a moment more before the comms went off and Kylo was forced to break their connection. ‘87 was becoming acclimated to the Force, but Kylo would need to be careful, lest the younger man develop an addiction to the euphoric high that came along with continual exposure.

He would no longer need these sessions once Reyna was with him, but he would keep to the promise he’d made to himself to allow the Artist a bit of freedom on her planet for a few years. In the meantime, however, the enemy could not be allowed to find out about her. It was a dangerous game to that he was playing and the stakes were high, but if it meant wiping out the Resistance once and for all before he went back for her, it would be worth it.

Kylo answered the comm. “Yes?”

Hux’s voice sounded over the other speaker. “Sir, we are ready to depart and extract Wexley.”

By extract, Hux meant ‘make a show of it’. Kylo turned back to 2187. “Go down to the planet and watch how Hux handles this.”

The ex-’trooper nodded. “Sir,” he said, before smoothing out his uniform and leaving the room.

Kylo turned back to the comm. “I am sending ‘87 to observe,” he said.

“Yes, sir.”

He cut the connection and turned the holo projector on with a lazy wave of his hand. The probe that was accompanying them was patched through so that he could observe the proceedings. The Supreme Ruler wished he could be there to collect the spy himself, but that would draw far too much attention—more than even Hux would be comfortable with. He’d have to stay behind.

It wasn’t long before the feed activated and he could see that his stormtroopers were already securing the area and suspects by the time Hux and 2187 landed in a command shuttle. Kylo watched as the mechanics were lined up on their knees, their hands tied behind their backs. FN-2187 walked beside Hux and he could see the general speaking to the ex-trooper, the other man nodding in agreement with whatever was being said. The junior officer eventually stopped and stood close by to observe the proceedings. Kylo looked over the men who were almost assuredly Resistance spies, judging by the looks being thrown at Hux.

The general noticed as well, a small smile playing on his features as he walked steadily up and down the line. “Which one of you is Snap Wexley?” he asked almost politely.

None of them said anything but he saw the minute twitches as they all subtly moved away from the one the general sought. Hux crouched down before the man, his finger moving beneath the spy’s chin causing the fleshy jaw to face up and towards him.

Wexley glared at Hux but said nothing while men, women, and children were gathering around them to watch the spectacle. Kylo saw the exact moment that Hux decided to use the opportunity. He stood back up and faced towards the crowd of humans and sentients.

His voice carried through the street. “I am General Armitage Hux of the Imperial fleet. For the last two hundred years, your Supreme Ruler and I have been away fighting against the ones who would throw our empire back into the chaotic days of the Old Republic, when the law allowed entire  _ planets _ to starve and bickering politicians did  _ nothing _ ! The Resistance has sent its spies into our cities to watch you—to report your every word and action back to their leaders for the sole purpose of destroying everything that we have built  _ together. _ These men before you are those spies!” 

As the whispering and calls began to grow, Wexley finally spoke up now. “We fight for the rights of the people to choose their own government and ruler! A dark Force-user has no business appointing himself  _ emperor  _ of the galaxy!” he cried out.

Hux turned slowly back to the man and Kylo knew the ginger-haired man was enjoying this immensely. “Is that what your people were doing on Bakura? When the insurgents used entire cities as human shields to keep our troops from removing them at the behest of the  _ democratically elected _ Minister of that world?” He paused for effect before continuing, “Planets _ choose _ annexation into the empire. Your Resistance is  _ forcing _ their ideology where it is not wanted,” he hissed before straightening up. “Take them back to the  _ Defender.” _

The men were dragged off, and Hux turned back to the crowd. “We as a society must be vigilant against those who would subvert our way of life.”

Everyone cheered and Hux subtly bowed to them before turning and walking away, 2187 close behind him. Wexley and the others were loaded onto the ship and it took off. Recordings of this would no doubt make the holo-net within minutes. Kylo cut the feed and strode down the long winding hallways towards the interrogation rooms. The prisoners were separated into individual cells, but Wexley, he had the honor of being strapped into an interrogation rack. 

Kylo entered the room just as the final cuff was secured, and he felt the second Wexley noticed him there, fear spiking so much that Kylo could almost taste it. The stormtroopers were waved away after completing their task and they were left alone. Hux and ‘87 remained outside, watching the security feed on a pad. The Supreme Ruler walked around the man, malicious glee rising with every bead of sweat that formed and dripped down Wexley’s forehead.

The spy would not meet his eyes, but he eventually found his voice. “You—you’re Kylo Ren.”

He came to a halt in front of the man. “I’m glad you recognize me. That will make this easier,” he said quietly.

Wexley swallowed and Kylo made no moves to question him, he merely stood there and  _ listened.  _ The spy was confused. He didn’t know why the Supreme Ruler, himself choose to see a lowly informant. Theirs was a passive cell, barely a blip on the radar. Unless . . .

Wexley looked up and he seemed to realize then what was happening.

Kylo reached out and his fingers hovered over the other man’s temple. “You know what I came here for,” he said, applying pressure to a few of the arteries just below the surface.

“The girl,” Wexley managed to gasp out.

Kylo didn’t nod. He didn’t need to. “Why did the chagrian have orders to send her to you?”

The pain was beginning to take its toll but Wexley shook his head, finally growing a spine. “I’m not telling you anything. The Resistance will not be intimidated.”

Kylo sighed and smiled. “We’ll see.”

Disappointingly, Wexley didn’t even last as long as Gilas had. But then, Kylo hadn’t needed Hux to physically dig the information from his mind. Kylo shattered the man in seconds, taking everything of use—which wasn’t much. The spy was left as nothing but a shell. He would remember nothing of this or anything else if he ever regained consciousness.

‘87 would have taken down everything of note for later research, and so Kylo left the room, his stride quick as he made his way back to his office. Hux and ‘87 hurried after him, neither speaking until they were alone.

The doors had barely shut behind them before ‘87 spoke. “Sir, we should go to Earth and get Rey. We can’t leave her there.” Kylo looked over at FN-2187’s earnest expression before his eyes passed back over the General Hux. 

The ginger haired man sighed before saying, “As much as it pains me, I have to agree with 2187. The Resistance deliberately manipulated events to gain the location to Earth. Whatever their plans are, we must not let them succeed.”

“Wexley didn’t know what their plans were,” he said carefully.

Hux shook his head. “Undoubtedly, they seek to form an alliance with the planet. The people of Earth have access to churkopt in quantity. If the Resistance gets their hands on it, they could start building a fleet to rival our own.”

Kylo snorted. “With what factories? Who would risk my wrath to build those ships?”

Hux was silent on that. Few would dare to assist the Resistance if it meant making an enemy of the Corellian Empire.

FN-2187 spoke again. “Which means they have a very specific goal. One that probably involves Rey. They could be planning to kidnap her and use her as leverage against you.”

Kylo shook his head again. “Gilas and Wexley were both under the impression that she is not the exemplar. No . . . this is about Earth, itself. But we can’t be too hasty. If we go back too soon after apprehending them, the Resistance will know that we suspect something regarding Reyna and they will act. We must tread carefully and not draw any unnecessary attention to her.”

There was silence for beat, before the general finally asked, “What are your orders?”

Kylo cycled through a multitude of plans in his mind, each assessed and discarded in quick succession, before finally settling on the one least likely to get Reyna killed—he hoped. “Send a stealth team and a Knight to Earth and begin preparations for annexation of that planet. Quietly.”

Hux looked taken aback. “Sir, without planetary approval—”

But Kylo waved him away. “We will have it. No doubt the Artist has already told their leaders much about the empire. She is a citizen herself and has been exposed to everything this galaxy has to offer. A planet that primitive will be begging for annexation by the time we return.”

Hux looked pensive but nodded and left.

2187 turned back to him. “Sir, what about Rey?”

He grimaced. “Her people will guard her for now. I meant it when I said I would give her time. I’ll give her as much as I can before I return for her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa! This took forever to edit! This chapter was kind of a mess, but I think I got it to the point of being a little more cohesive. Kylo is border-line going bonkers again, and Rey is about to sign her life away, so it's all good, right? Anyway, Rey gets out of quarantine next week, and then she really gets to deal with the world.
> 
> Also, I know she and Mack wouldn't be having this kind of conversation without Rey having signed like 5000 NDRs, but let's all pretend that she already did, for the sake of me not having to write another thousand words just to say that, LOL. XD


	28. Chapter 28

Rey was pulling her clothes on—Kord’s clothes, not the white scrubs from before. She’d never considered herself much of a clothing snob but Rey always felt quite beautiful in the things that Kord made.

She was leaving today—finally leaving this white box of tedious boredom. Poe wanted to herd her out with a jacket over her head like criminal, but there was no escape from what was about to happen. Mack had finally let her view live television, more specifically the twenty-four hour news channels and they were currently losing their collective minds awaiting her reveal. There were reporters and news vans and protestors and supporters all camped outside of the base for  _ miles _ around. 

 As to where she was going after she got out . . . she’d signed the damn contract with a few amendments. She had a certain amount of leeway in choosing her missions or turning them down with reasonable cause. Rey hadn’t been happy about signing it, but in order to secure a new home for herself, she needed to have a source of steady income to qualify for a mortgage.  _ How . . . Earth, _ she thought.

She had looked at pictures that Poe had brought to her and picked out a home in a gated community close to the base. Rey had never considered herself a ‘gated community’ person let alone they type of girl to live in the suburbs, but when both Poe and Mack were in agreement on anything, she thought it best to follow their advice. Both were concerned for her safety and the very least she could do was have security for her home and neighborhood. 

Rey was tempted to make a beeline for her home and shut herself up in the place until the fervor died down, but it didn’t look like that was likely to happen anytime soon. Mack had taken the opportunity to set her up with an interview right out of the gate. Literally. 

She was leaving the base and heading straight for a studio in New York for her first interview. Rey tried to choose the most ‘Earth’-like of her clothes. It wasn’t that the other things weren’t like anything on Earth, it was that the standards of upper-crust fashion in the empire were different—more formal with lots more skin showing. Free-flowing gowns shot through with beading, stones, and intricate embroidery were not exactly ‘news interview’ appropriate. She wanted to look her best but not like she’d come from Star Trek. 

Poe stood outside waiting for her and she gave the room one last look around to be sure she’d gotten everything. Mack had told her that everything from the ship had been sent to her new home. Rey stepped out of her room, her purse clutched in her hand. Poe looked up from the phone and he smiled before walking over and embracing her. There was no crunching of plastic bio-suit and he smelled just the same as he had before and he was so warm and solid in her arms.

“It’s almost over,” he whispered.

It was far from over, but she hadn’t mentioned the contract to him yet. Her old job had offered to take her back and put her in the same position, but anyone with eyes could tell that was more for the publicity than an actual offer. She had little else to do for a while until the shininess wore off and people got on with their lives. In the meantime, if she played ball with the government, she’d be able to go back into space fairly easily.

Poe smiled at her, completely unaware of what was going on inside her head as he put his arm around her and the pair walked down the hall towards the exit. Mack met them at the set of double doors. He gave her a once-over, eyeing the pale shades of cream and blush, but said nothing as he handed her a pair of large dark sunglasses.

Even from the inside, she could hear the clamoring of people beyond the doors and she stifled a shudder. There were so many—so many minds all braying and blending into a mass of confusion and excitement. Rey had never been one for crowds to begin with, but they were all so loud. Mack began speaking, but she only heard half of his words as she slowly pulled the tendrils of her power back inside herself.

“There are press outside but they’re behind the fence so they can’t get near you. The car is waiting. It will take you to the studio.” He paused, eyeing her pensively before continuing. “Are you sure you want to do this now? You can wait a few weeks if you want.”

Rey snapped out of her reverie and shook her head. “No I want to get this taken care of. There’s too much random information running around and the speculation will continue until I set it straight and it’s no longer interesting.”

“I don’t think what happened will ever  _ not _ be interesting," Poe muttered.

She put the sunglasses on with a shrug. “This is all I can do for now," she said as she pushed the door open.

There were flashes on her left but she didn’t bother to shield her face. She was heading to a news studio to do an interview so everyone would see her soon anyway. Rey got inside the black sedan with Poe sitting beside her and Mack sitting in the front passenger side seat. The driver didn’t waste any time and within minutes, they were headed away from the base and into New York. The drive was silent as trees gave way to shops and businesses which lead into skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle of the city.

She knew they were close to their destination even before the driver began breaking. People lined the sidewalks, many with their phones out recording the goings on while others yelled and waved signs. Some of them were nice, “Welcome Home!” signs while others labeled her a whore of Satan.

Rey didn’t dwell on the fact that she hadn’t gotten any in almost five years, much less from Satan. And after all this, she was probably going to live in her house in the ‘burbs with her brother and five cats like some 1800s spinster aunt.

“Don’t they have better things to do with their time?” Poe asked, his voice just a touch irritated. 

_ Probably not, _ she thought, eyeing the masses of people. One news report had said that nearly a hundred thousand people were on the streets of Time Square waiting to see this interview on the giant screen there. It wasn’t going to be live—there would be a five minute delay in case something needed to be cut out, but this was the first time she would be speaking publically about what had happened after she’d been abducted. There had been press releases of course, with a vague outline of what she’d done, but it was all very sanitized for easy consumption. 

The car eventually came to a stop and she waited as security moved into place and held back reporters and pedestrians before getting out. Poe was right behind her as she entered the austere building. There was limestone and marble everywhere and she pulled her sunglasses off to look around with a smile. It was very ‘Earth’.

“Miss Gillespie!”

Rey turned and spotted a man in his late forties coming towards her. He had his hand held out towards her and she blinked at the outstretched limb for a fraction of a second before hastily reaching out and clasping her fingers in his.

He smiled genially. “I’m Ronald Brewster, the station head. I wanted to personally escort you to our green room where you can go ever everything with Karrie and the staff ahead of time.” 

She smiled and nodded. “Oh. Yes, that sounds fine. Thank you.”

“Right this way,” he said gesturing towards the back of the lobby.

Poe rolled his eyes as the man lead their small group through the lobby and towards a private elevator. There were security guards everywhere and one followed them into the elevator.

She stepped inside and Poe leaned over. “Don’t get a big head,” he said and she elbowed him in the side as he laughed. 

The station head gave them a side glance but said nothing. Mack stood silently in front of her, and his thoughts were like a river flowing around her. He was afraid she’d say the wrong thing and that everything he and his bosses had worked for would fall apart. Rey had no intention of saying anything that would fan the flames even further, but she would not lie, either.

Eventually the elevator stopped on the forty second floor and they stepped off. The hallway was long and carpeted in plush cream with limestone and marble tiled walls and chrome sconces.

Brewster lead them through the building until they stopped in front of a white door emblazoned with a placard that read “green room”. He opened the door and she walked inside.

It was nicer than she’d expected but it fit with the rest of the building’s not so subtle elegance. A woman looked up from where she was laying out various make-up pallets and called out, “Hello!”

Brewster introduced her. “Miss Gillespie, this is Maria Quinn. She’ll be handling your maquillage.” The man’s voice rolled over the last word and Rey smiled.

The man left and Poe turned to her. “What was that last word?”

“Make-up,” she said. “It’s french.”

Mack raised a brow but said nothing as he leaned against the wall and proceeded to become engrossed in whatever was on his blackberry.

Maria walked up to them with her hand out and Rey was quicker this time to shake it. “Yes, Mr. Brewster spent some time in . . . Paris . . .” she trailed off as though she realized what she’d been saying. 

Rey deflated a bit but kept her smile. “It’s alright. I’ve had plenty of time to move on.”

The make-up artist suddenly became flustered. “Oh! I am so sorry. I just—”

“Again, it’s alright,” Rey said reassuringly.

The woman’s mouth snapped shut for a second as she gathered her thoughts before speaking again. “Well, Karrie will be here soon to go over the show notes so we should get started.”

Rey nodded and sat down in the chair. The woman worked quietly and efficiently, keeping everything simple per Rey’s request. Poe stood with his back turned, looking out the floor to ceiling window. The crowds below must have been a sight—enough that her brother wasn’t speaking.

She was just finishing up when there was a knock at the door. The security guard was the one to answer and the woman known as Karrie Kensington strode inside. She was a blonde bombshell, slightly older but her tanned skin, pale blonde hair, and light blue eyes gave her a look of classic American beauty. She reached out and shook Rey’s hand as she approached, her steps sure and confident in the sky high nude heels she wore.

Her voice had an edge to it as though she were prepared for every syllable to be recorded and wanted to sound her best. “Hello, Miss Gillespie. I’m Karrie Kensington. Do you mind if I call you Reyna?”

Rey blinked at the rather direct question. “Just Rey is fine, thank you.”

The woman nodded shortly and sat down on one of the overstuffed couches. “Please call me Karrie. I want this to be informal,” she said with a nod. “Think of it as just the two of us having a conversation.”

_ Yeah, the two of us plus a hundred million people, _ she thought wryly. “I’ll try,” she said aloud.

Karrie’s face showed no change as she looked Rey over. “Is there anything I should stay away from, subject wise?”

Rey knew Karrie had already been briefed by the government on what she could ask about. “I don’t think so. I’ll answer what I can.”

The reporter nodded and stepped out of the room again, presumably to go across the hall to finish the ‘casual’ interview setup. Rey’s makeup was finished quickly after that and she got up and made her way to the interview room as well. Karrie was doing her introductions so Rey, Mack, and Poe kept quiet as they waited. When they got the all clear, the reporter got up from the chair and walked over.

“We’re going to be live in ten minutes. Our viewers have been lamblasted with the information that the DOD released about your story, but we’re going to walk the audience through it in your own words.”

Rey had seen the newscasts as pundits went back and forth picking apart every crumb and scrap of information that had been released. But there hadn’t been much apart from a broad overview of the events. It seemed everyone knew that she’d been left on a planet and that she’d painted her way to a ship and come home. The reasoning behind her abandonment, what she’d been doing for the last year . . . none of that had been revealed.

Rey nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay.”

Karrie smiled. “Don’t be nervous. There is going to be a delay so we can cut anything that needs to be cut.”

Rey nodded again and Mack looked dubious but didn’t say anything. She’d hear about it later, she was sure. She sat down across from Karrie and waited while a few other things were recorded and then it was time for them to start.

“Remember Rey,” Karrie said, “Don’t look at the cameras. This is a conversation between you and I.”

She took a deep breath and noded. “Got it,” she said.

The interview began with Karrie asking her about what happened immediately after she was taken inside the craft. Rey recited a slightly edited version of the events though they were no less shocking to hear. Karrie nodded along as Rey spoke about her time on the ship and then her ejection and fall to the planet known as Ord Canfre.

Rey was sure pictures from her phone would end up on the screen as she described the people she’d interacted with and the sights she’d seen.

“A particular photo of a man and yourself has surface and caused something of a ruckus.”

“That would be FN-2187,” she said. “He is a soldier for the Corellian Empire. I met him on Ord Canfre.”

“A number?” Karrie asked, her brows climbing. “His name is a  _ number?” _

There were quite a few implications to having a number rather than a name, and as much as Rey would have liked to say that that was a purely an Earth-related issue, it wasn’t. It was dehumanizing even out there. 

Karrie’s mind was swirling with ideas about the narrative that was beginning to emerge about Kylo Ren and his empire—-and it wasn’t pleasant. She had enough tact to leave the subject alone . . . for now.

“So there are humans out in the galaxy,” she said instead.

Rey had known these questions were coming. “Yes,” she answered with a nod. “I don’t know the specifics of why or how there are so many and so widespread but Earth isn’t the only planet inhabited by the human species.”

The reporter wanted to press her further on the subject, but her producer was signalling that they only had a few more minutes, so she switched gears quickly.

“Just before the interview, the DOD released a few more photos from your travels.”

Rey felt her her fingers curl around the armrest of her chair as the reporter’s mind whispered her secrets before she even spoke.

“Among them were pictures of a few of your paintings.”

Rey hadn’t given permission for any images of her paintings to be released and her eyes swung over to Mack accusingly. He wasn’t looking at her, and instead his fingers were flying over the buttons of his blackberry, trying to figure out if there was anything damaging amongst the images. 

There wasn’t, but that wasn’t what Kensington was aiming for.

Rey kept her composure and her smile tight as she answered. “Yes, painting was how I made my living out there.” 

Karrie’s face gave nothing away but Rey could feel the trap gearing up to swallow her whole. “I have a source,” the reporter began, “from within the facility you were quarantined in that said there was a very specific painting that we did not receive a photo of.” 

Rey’s face was impassive as she searched the mind of the reporter. Karrie hadn’t seen the painting herself but it had been described . . . in detail.

The reporter’s head tilted just the slightest bit. “It was a dark painting showing a man—A man you said was  _ Kylo Ren _ , himself. The source said you insisted that the painting be kept away from anyone.”

“That painting is private,” she said, her fingers digging painfully into the cushioned arms of the chair.

The reporter pounced like a lion on a wounded gazelle. “So you’re saying you had a private relationship with Kylo Ren?”

Rey’s chin rose and she leaned back in her chair, her mind racing as she skimmed over the thoughts of Kensington. For everyone else, the time elapsed would have been a fraction of a second, but time moved differently for one so in tuned with the Force. Rey generally did not take full advantage of her connection, but the extra few minutes . . . hours that she spent partially connected to the Force plane were enough to calm her and she eventually smiled. 

Her words were even and not at all the uncomfortable panic that Kensington had expected. “I know what you’re looking for . . . but you won’t find it,” she said with a shake of her head. “At least not with me.”

Karrie’s eyes widened fractionally and Rey knew she had caught the other woman off guard. “I’m just looking for the truth,” she said in what most would think was an earnest tone.

Rey didn’t snort, but she did allow her lips to curl upwards a bit more. “You’re looking for something that will make your name synonymous with mine—A soundbite of you either catching me in a lie, or of me getting upset on your show. Perhaps I’d shed a tear or two and your ratings would skyrocket.”

“Ah shit,” she heard Mack mutter as the producer hastily cut to a commercial and she knew they would be frantically editing the footage before it aired.

Kensington face flashed with a grimace just as Mack turned to the producer. “This interview is over.”

Rey hadn’t taken her eyes off the other woman who met her gaze unflinchingly. “No,” she said quietly and Karrie’s eyes widened. “No, you want the truth? Here it is. Kylo Ren is a  _ monster. _ A monster with power and an empire to back him up. He will come here again and take whoever it is he is looking for and there is nothing we can do to stop it.”

The reporter’s posture changed and she leaned back as though it were  _ she _ that was being questioned. “You said he was a good leader—that the people within his empire approve of him.”

Rey nodded agreeably. “He is. He’s very popular because of his hard-line stance against rebellions and his economic policies regarding sanctions and taxes. But none of that has anything to do with who he is in private. When no one will stop him from laying his hands on whoever he likes.”

Karrie took a sharp breath and she leaned forward once more. “Is that why you used the mace? He put his hands on you?”

Rey took a trembling breath as she remembered those red bloodshot eyes that had wished death upon her. “I panicked and as a result, I almost died on that ship before being dumped like last week’s garbage on the side of the road, or in his case, the first habitable planet he came across.”

Karrie was silent for a second before she spoke again. “What you haven’t told us is _ why. _ Why did he come here? Why did he think you aren’t the one he was looking for?”

Rey sighed. She hated this part. “According to the people I interacted with, there is this concept called the Force. People almost worship it. It’s like this energy that connects all living creatures. There is a light side and a dark side but It wants to be in balance so it creates two beings called exemplar who have greater access to the Force. They can do things like move objects with their minds.” 

Rey said the last part almost dismissively and Karrie predictably ran with it.

“And he thought you were one of these . . . exemplars?” she asked dubiously.

Rey shrugged. “I think so,” she said with a snort. “Clearly I wasn’t, so he dropped me off the first chance he got, but he’ll probably come back to find whoever he thinks the right girl is.”

“How do you know he’ll come back here?”

Of course he was coming back, he’d followed the thread of the exemplar here. What confused Rey was that she could feel no other Force-users that would be classified as anything powerful enough to be an exemplar. There was no one like Kylo Ren on the planet, and it worried her.

“I suppose I can’t be sure,” she said. “But he knew the exemplar’s face—my face apparently—and this planet isn’t exactly easy to find. He had good reason to think she was here, enough that he will probably return.”

From there the questions returned to a less tense version of civility and the interview eventually wrapped up. After the cameras cut off, Karrie was speaking to her cameraman and producer for a few minutes before turning back to Rey and holding her hand out.

“Nothing personal back there, Rey,” she said genially.

Rey tilted her head but shook the other woman’s hand anyway. “I don’t enjoy being blind-sided like that.”

Karrie shrugged, not in the least bit repentant. “But what you said after was real, not the rehearsed speech the suits wanted you to say.” She gestured over to Mack who looked less than impressed. 

The liaison shook his head. “No one wants a panic when or if he comes back.”

Karrie almost sneered. “The people deserve to know the truth about him, and the only person who can give us that is her. If he’s some kind of rapist despot, everyone should know that before sending their daughters, sisters and wives to him the next time he decides to come looking for girls to kidnap.”

Rey looked over at her brother who had that expression that said he wished he had popcorn so he wouldn’t be of any help to her. She put a hand on Mack’s shoulder. 

He turned to her sharply and she said, “You need to cool off.”

He shook her off. “What I  _ need  _ is for you not to add any more fuel to this fire. This is going to get ugly.”

Rey’s eye twitched. “There was no way to keep this from getting ugly. The truth is ugly whether I admit it or not.” She leaned in so Karrie wouldn’t hear and whispered, “You of all people know how much worse it was than anything I said today.”

He grimaced, looking at her before walking out of the room. “I’ll be downstairs.”

Karrie raised a brow as the man left and Rey watched him go with some trepidation.

“It was worse?” the reporter asked and Rey looked back at her, her brows furrowed, so Karrie pointed to her shirt. “Your mic is still on.”

Rey pulled the offending thing off and tossed it to the cameraman. “Don’t run that.”

The other woman moved closer. “How much worse was it?” Karrie asked.

Rey gave her an impatient look. “I’m not saying anything else.”

The reporter didn’t give up so easily. “The way you framed your story is already pretty bad in some parts.”

She shrugged. “Some parts were worse than others. Most of it wasn’t so terrible and I plan to move on with my life, not wallow in the past.”

Karrie looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. “I won’t be the only reporter hitting you with hard questions about what happened. Your story . . . it’s the stuff of fairytales and nightmares.”

“I know," Rey said but didn’t go any further.

She turned to leave but the reported fired off one more question. “Those people don’t  _ really _ believe in some flight of fancy called the Force, do they?”

Rey halted her movements and turned back with a smile. “A lot of them do.”

Karrie didn’t seem surprised. “I guess people on Earth aren't the only ones who will swallow religious bullshit.”

Her brows rose. “Why would you think it’s bullshit?”

The reporter snorted out a laugh. “Well did you ever see anyone move a spoon?”

Well, she hadn’t seen anyone  _ else _ move anything. “Not personally, no.” 

The woman rolled her eyes. “Of course it’s BS. A mystical energy binding us all together that gives some people superpowers? Yeah, I’m not buying it. But whatever gets the masses to pay the tithe, I guess.”

Rey smiled a bit before she left.

* * *

She was smiling at him, her eyes sparkling in the afternoon light. 

“Thanks for the help, ‘87,” she said, as she stood up from the bucket of pigmented whitewash—paint, as she called it. He’d replayed this memory dozens of times and he enjoyed it even now as she carefully brushed layers of green into the plaster of the wall.

Despite the overall age and less-than-pristine shape of the apartment, he was more than happy to sit on the ground and watch her.

“You don’t have to just sit there. I’m teaching Caladon to paint these days. Do you want to give it a try?”

Every time before, he’d always done as ‘87 had done—-had shaken his head and smiled and told he he hadn’t an artistic bone in his body, but today . . . Today he couldn’t help himself. The serenity of the memory gave way to the power of his will as he got up.

“I would,” he said and Kylo could feel ‘87’s presence within his mind rearing back at the change. The Supreme Ruler’s hand trembled as he released 2187 and the junior officer’s mind left him.

It was just he and the other exemplar now. Kylo and Reyna.

She blinked at him as he reached out and it was his own hands rather than ‘87’s that took the paintbrush from her. She had to look up now to meet his eyes.

“Are you real?” she asked softly

“No,” he said. “None of this is real.” It pained him to say as much, but there was no use lying, not to himself or this figment of his imagination.

“Oh,” she said softly, looked back at the walls. “I’ll never really leave this place, it seems.”

She was still beautiful, but the happiness was gone as she glanced around the tiny apartment, her eyes lingering on the hashmarks that counted the days of her stay on Ord Canfre.

His eye twitched and the setting around them changed. She stepped back in fright as her gaze darted around the new place he’d brought her to.

“What is this?” she asked.

“The Spring Palace of Naboo, the birthplace of my grandmother.”

She walked away from him out past the blue stone columns and onto the balcony. “It’s beautiful.”

“I’ll bring you here,” he said. “When we’re together again.”

She snorted beside him. “I hope not,” she said, her eyes still on the lush scenery. “I hope I never see you again,” she added softly.

His brow furrowed as he reached out and touched her shoulder. She tilted her head as he turned to face him.

“I will make up for the wrongs that I’ve committed against you,” he said, desperation tinging his voice.

“It’s a futile gesture. I would never forgive you—Never  _ love _ you, Kylo Ren,” she said, a smile forming on her lips as she spoke.

He took a step back and shook his head in denial. “You will—You have to!”

At this she laughed, harsh and cruel and the dream shattered around him.

“Supreme Ruler!” a familiar voice called as he gasped for breath and Kylo’s eyes snapped open.

‘87 was leaning over him, his expression frantic.

“She said—she said she would never forgive me,” he whispered, his entire body shaking as he leaned on ‘87.

“It wasn’t real. Rey didn’t say that,” 2187 

“But it’s true! She’ll never love me. I’ve waited five hundred years for her, but . . . I’m still alone.”

“No, you have me. You have General Hux. Rey will come around as well. She’s a good person. She’ll forgive you.” 

Kylo looked up and met ‘87’s eyes. His attache was earnest and his mind was clear of doubt. He truly believed that Reyna would eventually forgive Kylo. The Supreme Ruler wished he was as sure.

The door chimed and Kylo ignored it at first. He was in no state to be seen by any—

The door chimed a second time. No one would dare hit the chime a second time except for Hux. Kylo sighed as he leaned back against the back of the sofa, and ‘87 got up as well. 

“I have some work to finish for your schedule next week,” he said and Kylo nodded. 

2187 left him, his stride sure and swift as he exited the room and allowed Hux inside.

The general stood before him, no doubt taking in the small beads o sweat that coated his forehead and his haggard appearance. He said nothing about that, though.

“What is it?” Kylo asked, eyeing the other man and becoming irritated at the silent judgment he was receiving. If she were in trouble, he was sure the general would not be so calm.

“The team I sent to Earth has reported no unusual sightings however . . .” He hesitated here before continuing. “There has been much speculation about the Artist’s return to her world and she gave an account of her experiences.”

Kylo’s mouth twisted in a mix of shame and acceptance. “I assume they weren’t flattering with regards to my treatment of her.” 

“That would be accurate,” Hux said with a nod.

Kylo’s gaze slid to the painting that hung on the wall in front of him. Anakin Skywalker and Padme Naberrie on the happiest day of their all too short lives. He remembered that day as if it were his own memory.

“And the planet?” he asked, not taking his eyes from the artwork.

“There are many who are rallying around her while others don’t know what to believe. Should I order the team to being reworking the situation?”

Kylo finally looked back at his oldest friend and ally. “No. Whatever she tells them. It’s not a lie and that’s something I will have to deal with myself. I won’t have her torn down in an attempt to hide my own mistakes.”

The general nodded. “As you wish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty much the end of the second act, and we're in the calm before the storm--the Kylo-shaped storm. It will start picking up again in the next chapter so stay tuned for that. :)


	29. Chapter 29

“How many does this make?” Rey asked as she flipped through a magazine—only to put it down with a roll of her eyes when she saw photos of herself within the pages. Three weeks since she’d spoken to Karrie Kensington, and they still couldn’t get enough. Mack had grumbled more than once that he’d become a glorified PR rep since he’s started working with her. He had been fielding calls and offers for her to appear on various shows and conduct interviews. Rey let him do whatever he wanted, though she drew the line at the photo spread that Time wanted to do of her. Interviews were fine, but she didn’t do anything but the most basic of photo ops. 

_ But that was alright, _ Rey thought with a smile as she turned back to look at the cover. The girl in the white coat, Bianca, was more than happy to do them for her. Her latest interview with People said that she’d apparently begun consulting ‘experts’ in the Force and she was learning how to control her power. She wanted to be ready when Kylo Ren eventually returned to pick her up.

When asked for a comment on the other woman’s claims, Rey had always smiled and wished her the best. While there was a bit of condescending sarcasm there, Rey was honest enough to say that she really did hope that the true exemplar had a better go of it.

Mack looked up from his phone. “This was the last one. Your schedule is free of interviews so we can prep you for the mission.”

Rey nodded as she put her coat on, her feet aching due to the heels she’d been wearing that day. She needed to stock up on shoes from Coruscant. They were far more comfortable than what she was having to deal with on Earth. 

She walked to the window and looked out over the city. Even with all the places she’d been to, there was nothing like New York. 

“Why don’t you take me out to lunch after this,” she said offhandedly.

Rey heard him snort. “Which place is it this time?”

“I want soup dumplings from Chinatown,” she said.

She’d have normally dragged Poe with her, but he was busy with his temporary leave paperwork so Mack had been filling in as her plus one on her pilgrimages to her favorite restaurants. He wasn’t bad company, but between he and the security guards that followed her around, attention was inevitably drawn to her. It had been off-putting at first, but at the end of the day, press or no press, she wanted to fit as many places—and dishes—in as she could before she left again.

It was happening sooner than she’d have thought, but the public was hungry for news and progress.

“Alright, we’ll go as soon as the security guard gets back,” he said and Rey turned around to face him. The guy had been gone a while, she realized, as she walked back to the sofa and sat down again. Mack joined her and sat on the loveseat opposite her.  “There have been decisions made on who will be going with you. We’ll go over some of it while we’re sitting in traffic so you can have your soup dumplings,” he said dryly.

Rey smiled and was about to respond when something caught her eye. There was a television on that had long since been muted and forgotten. A news anchor was speaking quickly as a graphic flashed across the screen showing the site of a shooting and a photo appeared beside it . . . a familiar face.

She must have gone white, because Mack turned around to see what had caught her attention. He hastily grabbed the remote and turned the sound back on.

“Bianca Marlow has been rushed to St. Vincent’s hospital and is in critical condition.”

Mack’s phone was back in his hands in seconds as he hastily typed something out and looked for information.

“The shooter remains at large and the Birmingham police are coordinating an extensive manhunt of the surrounding area.”

Mack stood up quickly. “Get your stuff. We need to leave.”

She blinked in confusion. “But aren’t we supposed to wait—”

“Don’t argue with me. Get your things. Now.”

Rey nodded and moved with him quickly through the building and towards the elevator. Mack was on his phone with their driver. “Get as close to the door as you can, and be ready to leave as soon as high flyer is on board.

_ This was bad, _ Rey thought as she pulled out her own phone and looked over the headlines. Bianca Marlow had been shot in the head in the middle of a grocery store parking lot. 

“This happened all the way in Mississippi,” she said as they stepped into the elevator.

Mack didn’t look up from his phone. “They haven’t caught the man who did it yet, and we don’t know that this wasn’t something that could have been coordinated. We need to get back to the base.”

Rey nodded and the elevator doors opened again. Security was already there to escort her out, and she stayed behind them as they walked through the lobby and out towards the revolving glass door.

The sun was bright as they exited the building and Rey could see the car not twenty feet from her. People yelled and waved signs as they passed and the body guards had to shove supporters and protesters out of the way as the group made their way forward.

Mack reached out and pulled the car door open, nodding to her. She smiled in thanks and went to get inside when a sound like great crash filled the air. Rey blinked several times as people dropped around her and screams echoed through the canyon of the city buildings.

Mack’s eyes were wide and his mouth was moving as he came towards her, but Rey couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in her ears.

Something wasn’t right.

Rey coughed—a wet thing that had her longing to spit as a coppery taste filled her mouth. She reached up and brushed a finger along her lips only for it to come away red. Her other hand trembled as it moved over the rapidly dampening cloth of her coat over her side. It too was red. 

Just as Mack reached her, she began to sink to the ground as the strength of her legs failed her. His arms came around her and all at once the sounds of the panicked crowd and the liaison came rushing back.

She coughed again and her eyes were drawn the tiny drops of blood that landed on his pristine white collar. She swallowed reflexively as she blinked up at him.

“Mack . . .” she said, her hand clutching at his wrist as he pressed down on her side.

“Don’t say anything, Rey,” he hissed as he hoisted her up and carried her into the back of the sedan. He placed her gently upon the seat before climbing inside himself and slamming the door shut

“Get us to the closest hospital,” he yelled to the driver and Rey saw him take his jacket off and hold it against her. It was hard to focus on him—on anything and her eyes felt so heavy.

“I think I was shot, Mack,” she whispered as her head lolled to the side. The cityscape passed them by like streaking colors on an abstract painting. It was beautiful in a way.

She felt the liaison reach over and move her head back so that she was looking at him. His eyes were wide and his breathing labored as he fought to control the bleeding.

“Stay awake, Rey,” he said softly. “You’ll be fine. We’re almost there.”

She nodded and her head felt muzzy, her thoughts disjointed.  _ Poe _ . . . 

As her mind drifted from waking, she could not help but slip into the Force plane. Her thread was stretched taut, the darkness of the void pulling so hard on it that she could not hold on for long. Rey looked back into the knot of the galaxy—looked at her own thread tangling amongst the life there. 

There was something there, that voice that called to her. She had always tried so hard to push it away, but now, as she felt her grip on her thread slipping, she could not help but call out.

_ Help me _ . . .  

Her fingers bled as the thread cut into her hands, and her muscles screamed. She shook her head in denial. After everything, was this her fate?

Rey held on as long as she could, but she couldn’t hold it any longer!

And then another hand laid upon hers.

* * *

He’d been on the bridge of the  _ Defender _ when the pain hit. Kylo stumbled and nearly fell to the floor before Hux caught him and helped him to lean against a console. A phantom pain threatened to overcome him. Not his pain . . .  _ hers! _

The general took his arm over his shoulder on one side as 2187 did the same on the other and they pulled him from the bridge and into a small conference room. He slumped heavily into a chair, his eyes wide and pupils blown as he struggled to control the pain and locate its source.

“Supreme Ruler!” ‘87 said, his hands coming up to touch Kylo’s throat and the Knight willingly allowed the other man to share in his pain so he could  _ focus. _ 2187 hissed, and fell to one knee, but he didn’t let go

Hux hovered behind the junior officer, his features awash with agitation and a touch of fear. “Ren! What’s happening?”

Kylo gritted his teeth. “She—She’s  _ screaming _ inside my mind. She’s been injured and she’s dying.”

“The Exemplar?” Hux asked while 2187 let out a low grown.

Kylo said nothing as his hand clutched his side even though no wound would be found there. Another exemplar. He would lose another?

There was silence in the room as Kylo forced a connection between them. 

“Is she dead?” Hux asked softly.

The Supreme Ruler shook his head. “No, she has gone to the Force plane and she’s holding onto her thread.” 

The general grimaced as he took in the sweat beading on Kylo’s forehead. “This connection could kill you too,” he said angrily.

“Of course it could,” Kylo gritted out. “But I won’t lose another exemplar. I’ve come too far to let her slip away from me like this. Now I need to concentrate!” he said, panting as the pain radiated from Reyna’s wound.

She was gone and so now only Kylo could see through her eyes. The bright white lights that passed overhead and the people in masks who asked questions to gauge her consciousness. A man covered in blood holding her hand and telling her she would be fine.

“She’s bleeding out,” he heard.

The man was hastily barking out orders. “Stitch her back together and stop the blood loss.”

A woman—a doctor looked horrified. “We need to get her on an IV and begin a transfusion. She needs surgery!”

_ No, _ Kylo thought,  _ no she would not last. Her thread would snap before then! _

The bloody man’s eyes narrowed and he hesitated before speaking. “No, do not waste time on that. She has alien technology inside her that will do that part. Just stop the bleeding.”

The doctor shook her head. “Sir—”

“I’m telling you, she will die before you stitch her back up if you wait too long.”

Kylo nearly forced his will onto the woman but then he heard it.

_ Help me . . . _

She—She was calling for him! Kylo left her body and entered the Force plane. He could  _ see _ her, he realized all at once. Not some ephemeral mist, but Reyna herself. She’d opened herself completely to him—allowed a complete connection—something he’d hope to achieve but never thought he could  _ earn. _ They were truly one now. 

Kylo longed to bask in warmth of their shared connection, but there was no time. She was there, holding tightly to their thread—holding their very survival in her blood-stained hands. Reyna was rapidly losing strength and her call was the final thing she could do to save herself . . . to save  _ them. _

The doctors would fix her, and Kylo would keep her there. He put his hand over her’s as she collapsed into his arms. He brought them both to the ground, her body dissolving before he could even take on her weight as her mind returned to her body.

Kylo felt his feet slipping as the void pulled ever harder on the thread.

_ No . . . Not again. _

He hadn’t been strong enough to save Jerah, but he’d be damned if he lost Reyna too. He held on for months . . .  _ years _ fighting to keep her tied to this life—to him. Kylo wasn’t sure when he felt the first easement.  _ She . . . she would live, _ he thought. The thread slowly slackened again and Kylo all but collapsed in on himself.

His fingers ran over the the thin golden sliver of light as he too returned to his body.

It was quiet as he returned to the present. 2187 had released him but was not far while Hux leaned against the wall beside the door. They both noticed his awakening and came to his side.

“Ren,” Hux said softly. “What happened?”

“I saved her,” he murmured and attempted to get up, only to to fall back, his legs unable to support his weight. 2187 tried to help him but his smaller frame was of little help as gravity pulled Kylo back into exhaustion.

‘87 passed him a pad. “Londra Ren reported that Resistance spies are on Earth. They killed four other women who resemble the exemplar.”

Kylo’s hand shook a bit but he held the pad up to read the report. Londra was hunting down the rest of the scum and Caserian was guarding Reyna. He and Caserian would have to have a conversation when they returned to Corellia about what it truly meant to protect someone. A Resistance spy should not have been able to get so close with a Knight nearby.

“I had hoped to give her more time,” he said quietly before looking up at the general. “Set . . . set a course for Earth.” 

* * *

The light was the first thing she noticed upon waking. That and the pain that throbbed dully at her side. Her hand came up and touched the tender area, streaks of pain lancing through her with even the barest of touches. Hands came to her, helping her to sit a bit higher in the bed.

“Fuck, that hurts,” she said with a pained groan.

Her brother was there, sitting on the mattress beside her. “I’d rather it hurt than the alternative,” he said, his dark eyes meeting hers with a seriousness that she’d rarely seen.

She blinked at him, swallowing around her dry mouth. “I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

Poe poured her a glass of water that she took gratefully.

“Not a truck,” he said. “A bullet.”

She handed the empty glass back and he put it on the side table. It was then that she noticed Mack sitting in the chair beside the door. All traces of the attack—the bloods and the panicked look in his eyes—were gone. He was as pristine as always, and his expression was nearly vacant as he watched her.

But his unfeeling expression hid a mess of pain and relief at her survival. He didn’t seem to know how to process what had happened to her, and so he was nearly on autopilot. She swallowed as she looked back at Poe.

“Someone shot me,” she said, a note of confusion entering her voice. Of all the ways she’d thought she’d die, being gunned down on her own planet hadn’t even made the top ten. And the girl in the white coat . . .

“Bianca,” she said looking at Mack. “What happened to Bianca Marlow?”

The liaison met her gaze even as Poe looked away. “She’s dead,” he said tonelessly. “Along with three other women. You’re the only one who survived.”

Rey’s breath left her. Four . . . four women were dead. That couldn’t be right! “How long was I . . .” she asked, unable to complete even that sentence.

Poe took her hand. “Three days. It’s a miracle you even survived. Literally. You should be dead. Why didn’t you tell me you had little nanobots swimming around inside you?”

“She wasn’t supposed to tell anyone,” Fallinger said. “Even you.”

Poe turned back to look at the man. “If you hadn’t said something, she’d be dead.” The words should have been a relief, but rather they were an accusation. 

Mack’s lip curled into a sneer. “And now we’re all being put under a microscope.”

“Does everyone know?” she asked.

The liaison snorted. “If my spilling the beans hadn’t done it, your unprecedented recovery would have. You’re almost completely healed after only a few days.”

She reached over and felt the bandages on her abdomen. “Why does it still hurt?”

“The nanites ate through every pain reliever they tried to give you,” Mack said and he didn’t seem in any way sorry about it, the petty bastard. “Now everyone wants to get their hands on you and those nanites, and the twenty four hour news cycle is in full effect on what it could mean for the future of healthcare.”

“Yeah, they’ll all be out of job," Poe said.

Mack wasn’t impressed. “She still would have had a much harder time without a surgeon.”

Poe grimaced, but said nothing.

Rey sighed. “Do you at least know who shot me?” she asked.

Fallinger seemed to grow even more incensed. “No. We found the location that the shooter used but there were no fingerprints or DNA, not even a shell casing. The slug we pulled out of you was a .308 hollow point which unfortunately is a common round that anyone can buy. The same rounds were used on all the attacks.”

“So you’ve got nothing,” Poe said and there was that accusing tone again.

Mack glared at the other man. “We’re doing everything we can.”

Poe shook his head and looked back at Rey. “We’ll get you home and you can take a break from all this and maybe we can take that vacation we’ve been talking about.”

Rey sighed. “No.” She looked at Mack. “We were slated to launch on the first mission next week, weren’t we?” Poe looked at her incredulously but Rey ignored him. “I’ll be fine by then, right?”

Mack’s response was slow, unsure. “The mission was put on hold.”

She nodded. “But we can get it back on track. There’s no reason to put it off—”

“Except that you just got  _ shot," _ Poe cut in.

Rey shrugged off his concerns. “By someone on Earth. Someone here on this planet just tried to kill me. There’s no reason to hang around here until the person is caught.”

_ “Rey _ . . .” Poe said, clearly horrified at her decision.

She ignored him. “Can you or can you not get the mission back on track?” she asked again, her expression determined.

The liaison continued to look completely baffled before nodding hesitantly. “I . . . can try.”

“Do it,” she said quickly before she could change her mind. Mack didn’t look happy but he pulled his phone out none the less and stepped into the hall. As the door opened, a shiver ran up the man’s spine and Rey looked up to see him hesitate. He looked around in confusion for a second before turning back around and leaving. 

Rey nearly let her eyes shut as the scent of the Force found her. She longed to reach out to the familiar presence, but not with Poe there. She blocked out her senses and focused on her brother. 

Poe was looking at her pleadingly. “I don’t want you to leave. You nearly died!”

“I’m fine, though,” she said with a reassuring smile. “Just a flesh wound.”

He didn’t laugh, but then she hadn’t expected him to. “I need to do this,” she said after a beat.

His fingers tightened around her wrist. “Why? You just got back. You worked so hard to get here.”

Rey had always been careful with her words. She was careful when she spoke to Mack, or with the reporters, or with Poe. They didn’t need to know all of her secrets . . . and then there were the secrets that everyone seemed to know, but no one would ever say—One she felt that she should share with the person that meant the most to her.

“If it wasn’t for you,” she said slowly. “I wouldn’t have come back. I love Earth . . .”

“But you love being out there more,” he finished for her.

“Being here . . . I know this isn’t where I end my life. I don’t belong here anymore.” And she didn’t, she realized painfully. Rey was not the exemplar that Kylo Ren had sought, but he’d opened the floodgates and changed her destiny. Her eyes slid over to her purse and felt the weapon that laid inside. She’d barely touched it since returning. How could she pursue knowledge of the Force here on this world of people who wouldn’t understand—would perhaps even shun her abilities as unnatural? Rey’s didn’t look over in the corner towards the presence that lingered, but she felt the familiar brush of connection like a drink of water after walking through a desert.

“I know you don’t want to leave,” she said after a moment. Poe was a patriot: he loved his country, his planet, his people. He didn’t know what was out there and he was alright with that. It saddened her when she realized that even the promise of flying through the cosmos wasn’t enough to convince him to leave.

“I would,” he said. “For you, I would leave . . . but not right now.”

She smiled. “Later then. But for now, I want to do this.”

He wasn’t happy with her answer—-just as he hadn’t been happy when she told him about the contract.

“Look, I’m actually kind of tired.” she gestured to the night sky beyond her window. “Why don’t you head home and get some sleep. I’ll probably be out of here tomorrow and we can order pizza and watch Netflix with James.”

His eyes narrowed but he nodded. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said before pulling on his brown leather jacket.

She watched him leave—saw the two feds that sat outside her door along with Mack who was, as always, on his blackberry.

The door shut and she was alone in the quiet . . .

“You can stop hiding. I know you’re there,” she said.

A dark figure materialized from the shadows in the corner of the room. He looked unchanged from the last time she’d seen him, but then that was to be expected. His clothing was still black and just as patchwork as before. His presence was friendly, but his eyes were filled with vengeful anger as he watched her.

The search for the shooters would continue indefinitely, it seemed.

“Will they find a body?” she asked after a moment.

Caserian’s expression shuttered. “No,” he said as he came towards her. “And it was far less than he deserved.”

Rey wanted to reach out to him—to touch him, but she didn’t dare. Caserian’s youthful careless manner hid a dangerous predator. He was an ally, but he was still one of Kylo Ren’s Knights. 

“You can’t just kill people on a whim, Caserian,” she said.

His head tilted. “Resistance scum are not deserving of your sympathy or mercy. The only useful thing he ever did with his pitiful existence was tell me how to find his accomplices.”

_ Yes, definitely one of the Knights of Ren, _ she thought with a raised brow. “Are you . . . going after the others?”

Caserian looked away for a second before taking a steadying breath. “Another Knight is here on your world,” he said, swallowing uncomfortably. “Londra Ren has already dispatched two other rebels. He is currently hunting the rest.”

“Londra Ren . . . I haven’t felt the presence of another Knight,” she said, her eyes narrowing.

Caserian didn’t seem happy speaking of the other Knight. “Londra is a Master Knight, the Supreme Ruler’s right hand. Master Kylo’s . . . previous apprentice.”

Rey didn’t know all of Caserian’s story, but she’d gleaned a bit from plucking at his thread on the Force plane once or twice when he’d insisted on ‘teaching’ her something. Much of Rey’s knowledge of her lightsaber came from the flashes of Kylo Ren teaching a child-Caserian how to wield a blade.

She shoved the images from her mind and tried to sit up further, her eye twitching in pain as her hand went to her abdomen. Caserian quickly assisted her, his fingers lingering on her arm longer than necessary. She felt no attempts to enter her mind so she allowed it. He hesitated before moving closer and seating himself on the bed beside her. He continued to hold onto her hand.

She was reminded suddenly of their time—the years they spent together—on the Force plane. Rey looked up and met the Knight’s dark eyes. She’d nearly forgotten them, but she’d know them anywhere.

“Was that really you?” she asked suddenly. “Were you really there with me all those years?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes.”

She swallowed painfully. “Why did you do that? Why did you stay with me? Why did you . . . teach me?”

His fingers entwined with hers and she wondered then why she had ever been afraid to touch him. This contact was . . . intoxicating. The Force—it called to him as it called to her. They were the same.

He hesitated to answer her. “Because it was the only thing I could do for you,” he said. “I wish with every thing that I am that you had come with me that day. I would have shielded you from the trials you’ll soon face.”

Rey blinked. “Trials?”

He grimaced. “Do not go into space, Rey. You’ll only be inviting them to attack you.”

_ Them _ . . . The Resistance who tried to  _ kill _ her. “I’m not the god damn exemplar,” she snapped, suddenly angry. It seemed all the misery in her life could be traced back to the day Kylo Ren arrived with her picture. If he’d only taken the right girl that day, Rey wouldn’t have to deal with any of this shit. 

Caserian’s eyes hardened, and she was reminded of the unyielding man that had held her captive only a year ago. “You have been sheltered on that commune. You do not know what the Resistance is truly like—or even what the Supreme Ruler is capable of. His patience is running thin, and his tactics are becoming increasingly brutal. Leia Organa and her band of rebels are desperate. Their numbers and territory continue to dwindle and now they are on their last leg and lashing out.”

“But  _ why?” _ she asked. “Why would they want to kill the light exemplar?”

Caserian’s fingers brushed over the skin on the back of her hand and all at once, he seemed to young to her. He had to be hundreds of years older than she, but in that moment, he didn’t look it.

“You’ve never met Master Kylo,” he said thoughtfully before hastily adding, “not the man he truly is.”

Rey couldn’t have stifled her snort if she’d tried. “What, the guy who had me thrown off his ship was a life model decoy?”

Caserian didn’t understand the reference, but he got the gist. “Master Kylo is a great man—the kind of man who was able to rally support from hundreds of worlds and build a great empire from the ashes of a war that nearly wiped all life from this galaxy . . . the kind of man who would save a child from darkness and torment,” he said and Rey felt him seeking a mental connection. It was gentle and only giving so she allowed it.

Her breathing became heavy as she lived through Caserian’s greatest fear—being alone in the darkness. A child screamed and pounded on the door until his knuckles swelled and split. So like her own fear.

“You . . .” she said breathlessly.

His smile was sad. “It was a favorite of my peers, but eventually they took it too far. He took me from the Academy and taught me himself. I admired him so much, but he changed. It was slow . . . but inevitable.”

She tried to pull away from the Knight, but his fingers tightened. “You don’t know him as he was,” Caserian said again. “What you met that day was a shell—a hollow void that spewed nothing but paranoia and anger.” 

“So you left him,” she said.

Caserian nodded. “Yes.”

Rey looked away, unable to reconcile what Caserian was saying with her own limited interaction with the Supreme Ruler. It didn’t matter—not to her. She wouldn’t be seeing him again, but if another Knight—the right-hand of Kylo Ren—was here, the Supreme Ruler was sure to follow. So Rey wanted  _ off _ this planet. 

There was one other thing that bothered her, though. “That doesn’t explain why the Resistance would kill the one person who could fix him,” she said.

Caserian shook his head. “They don’t want him to be fixed. They want him to die an agonizing death. If he should lose another exemplar, it would send Kylo Ren back into insanity—one which he could not recover from.”

Was everything really so fragile, she wondered. Could an entire galactic empire be destroyed with the death of one man?

Caserian could not read her thoughts, but he seemed to know them anyway. “Armitage Hux would never let the Corellian Empire crumble completely, but it would be a significant blow.”

Four women were dead so that the Resistance could kill another. And who knew how many would perish if the Empire fell apart. Civil war would break out as politicians and usurpers vied for power.

“Master Ren will be here soon enough. He sent Londra to observe the situation here and he will have undoubtedly reported back. The Supreme Ruler will take no more chances with the light exemplar’s life.”

She hesitated before quietly asking, “He’s still alive though. The light exemplar must still be alive if he is.”

Caserian nodded. “Yes. The light exemplar still lives.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit's going down, you guys.  
> He's back . . . finally! I have more pics of Caserian in the pipeline, but this is just the intro image for him. So, question: I kinda want Rey to give Caserian a nickname later. Do you guys like Cas or Rian better?


	30. Chapter 30

“Pathfinder, huh?” she asked after reading over the briefing. She was scheduled to leave Earth in less than twenty-four hours and she was going over some last minute details with Mack and the other two crewmen who would be accompanying her.

The liaison nodded. “It tested well with the focus group,” he said dryly and she snorted out a laugh, unsure if he was joking, but unwilling to call him on it. Her ship had a shiny new paint job and now sported a small American flag along with a new name.

“Should have UN flag,” Arik Bauer added in that gravelly accented voice of his.

Rey said nothing, though she sort of agreed with him. In the end though, she found that she didn’t care very much. The US would never give up even a miniscule claim on the ship, and there wasn’t a whole lot Rey could do about it without raising a stink publicly. And she’d signed so many NDAs that if she said anything, she’d be sitting in litigation until the nanites finally gave up the ghost, she was sure.

Bauer was a Luftwaffe pilot from Germany. He and Poe had had a stare down upon first meeting before they’d finally laughed and talked for hours. It was enough to drive Rey away and into the company of the other man, Kenzo Taketemi, a botanist from Japan. Mr. Taketemi was a quiet man, intense in a way that spoke of deeper thought.

He also didn’t ask her dumb questions. She liked him.

Rey thought over the guidelines of mission; reestablishing communication with her contacts and seeing about getting injections for her two crew mates. They wouldn’t be able to leave the ship if she couldn’t get them credentials and nanites. Just because no one could get sick, didn’t meant they couldn’t carry something to infect non-citizens. It was one of the reasons that travel was restricted so heavily. If someone who had no immune defense went to a place like Coruscant where so many other people lived and passed through, a person could pick up a disease without even knowing it and then carry it back to their home where it could potentially spread.

Rey had thought for the longest time that the empire was just being dicks about it, but she could admit when she was wrong. Bauer and Mr. Taketemi would only get to see the inside of her ship for two weeks unless she could somehow secure the proper paperwork for them. She had a few ideas, but she was unsure of doing anything too illegal. She might have escaped conscription when Kylo Ren dumped her, but there was no reason to assume that she couldn’t get picked up again.

Mack continued to go over the minutia of their objectives and Rey tuned him out. She was ready to get off this planet. Caserian had told her that Kylo Ren was on his way and would be there in only a few more days. She felt guilty for not telling Mack or anyone else that he was coming, but she’d had to settle on heavily hinting that he would return at some point. She couldn’t exactly explain Caserian. That was a whole other can of worms that she wasn’t ready to open.

With any luck, the Supreme Ruler would pick up the light exemplar and beat it off back to his empire before she got back. _There were fewer women to choose from this time around,_ she thought sadly. Of the fifteen women that had stood on the Champ de Mars that day, there were ten left for him to pick from.

There was a tension in the air since the shootings. It wasn’t something that Rey had initially thought about—not with Caserian there assuring her of the exemplar’s survival, but fear was beginning to take hold of the population. What if Kylo Ren returned and the exemplar was dead? He was the type of guy to threaten an entire planet with mass destruction and then slowly torture a girl for daring to fight back. There was no reason to think that he wouldn’t allow his anger to overcome him once more and the entire planet would have to face the consequences.

Rey had done an interview only a few hours ago with Karrie Kensington again—the last in a long string of talks focusing on damage control. It was all hands on deck trying to keep the fear from turning into paranoia and violence. While Rey wasn’t exactly a fan of Kylo Ren, she also didn’t want the population of the planet to have a global meltdown when he came back. Better that she cut the oxygen before the fire could spread.

For the most part, the journalists had begun focusing on the source of the Supreme Ruler’s power—the Force and what might happen if the light exemplar was dead. Karrie Kensington had begun by questioning Rey on the basics before leading her and the audience towards the real questions that she still wanted to ask.

“What’s going to happen if he comes back and the exemplar is dead?”

It was familiar question—one she’d been asked several times by other reporters over the last five days and by now she had her script down.

“If the light exemplar is dead,” she said. “He won’t even come here.”

The reporter paused for a beat, not enough that most would notice, but Rey had seen the subtle tensing of the fine lines around the other woman’s mouth. She’d scented blood and was circling.

“So, if Miss Marlow was to be believed, he won’t be back,” she said, just the faintest curving of the corner of her lips denoting the sinkhole that Rey was about to fall into.

Rey didn’t sigh. “Yes, I suppose.”

Karrie pursed her artificially full lips slightly. “You don’t sound convinced. In fact, despite national polls indicating that sixty two percent of people believe that Bianca Marlow was the exemplar, you have never once indicated that you believed it as well. Is there a reason that you withheld your support of her?”

Rey couldn’t help the incredulous raising of her brow. “There were fifteen of us. It could have been anyone.”

The reporter’s head tilted. “And yet, it was _you_ that he chose.”

Rey stared at her for a few seconds, blinking and allowing a dumb look to cross her face before laughing. Karrie leaned back away from the noise, clearly irritated that her serious question was being treated as a joke.

“You can’t seriously be insinuating that I’m the exemplar,” she said after her giggles had subsided.

“You alone survived the shootings because of technology that he gave you, and against all odds, you somehow managed to make it back here carrying a weapon of the Force-users.”

Rey blinked, taken aback. “How do you—” she stopped, cutting herself off. The existence of her lightsaber was not a detail released to the public, much less where it came from.

Mack had gone white, but Rey settled her nerves. “My lightsaber was once owned by a Jedi Knight, a follower of the light exemplar hundreds of years ago. I found it buried under a bunch of trash in a junk shop.”

“You carry it with you now.”

“I have since the shooting, yes.”

“Don’t you have to be a Force-user to have a lightsaber?”

Rey gave her an incredulous look. “I’m not sure where or who you are getting your information from, but they’ve sold you a bill of goods. A lightsaber is no different from any other sword. Anybody can swing one around.”

“Including Kylo Ren?”

Rey hesitated. “Yes. He has one, as well.”

“A red one.”

Rey’s eyes slid over to Mack and time stood still as they swung over to meet Caserian’s shadowed gaze.

 _She’s been speaking to someone . . . someone who_ knows _things,_ he said into her mind.

Rey had gleaned as much. A cursory look into Karrie’s mind yielded precious little else. _She doesn’t know who it is, but this information . . . this is the Resistance, isn’t it?_ she asked.

 _More than likely. I will speak with Londra,_ he said before melting away and Rey looked back the the reporter. Barely a fraction of a second had passed while she’d spoken to Caserian.

“Yes, his was red,” she said, allowing a bit of discomfort to color her voice.

Karrie leaned back. “So you claim not to be the light exemplar.”

Rey shot her an incredulous look. “The dark exemplar threw me off his ship in a rather spectacular fashion and left me on a desert planet. I feel like that’s pretty definitive evidence to the contrary.”

Karrie had no rebuttal to that, so she switched gears. “But you know so much about the Force. You even carry a lightsaber,” she said.

Rey nodded. “I wanted to understand why I was taken—Why Kylo Ren was the way he was. He was driven to madness by the lack of connection to the light side of the Force.”

“You sound like you’re defending him.”

“No,” she said flatly. “But I learned a lot while I was out there. The mask he wore, the unhinged mind. It was all symptomatic of a greater problem for him. From what I saw, he wasn’t nearly as messed up after the trip to Earth.”

“Because he encountered the light exemplar here?”

She nodded. “Precisely. That kind of connection—to have found her across an entire galaxy . . . trust me, if she were dead, he’d know.”

“But he could come back anyway just be spiteful, right?” Karrie asked and Rey could see the woman trying to give her another opening to tear down her abuser.

Rey met Karrie’s eyes. She was tempted—oh so tempted to give Karrie what she wanted and put Kylo Ren through the ringer verbally, but he would be here again in only a few days. And as much as Rey loathed the very thought of the Supreme Ruler, she wasn’t going to have the last soundbite she left about him be one extolling all the facets of his shitty personality. People would panic when he came back if they thought he was horrible enough to actually destroy the planet.

“I suppose so,” she said finally, letting her voice cross into thoughtful. “Though from the stories that circulated the holonet—the news—he seemed pretty busy. It takes five to six days to get here from Corellia. So we’d be talking nearly two weeks just in travel time to come here and back. I think he has more important things to do—I hope so anyway,” she added.

Karrie hadn’t been happy with her diplomatic answer, but she’d breezed through the rest of interview. The reporter had later claimed on her radio show that Rey was obviously still afraid of Kylo Ren and was now wanting to make nice to keep herself off his radar when or if he returned, because, as Karrie had said, he was just that spiteful.

Rey had listened to the broadcast with an irritated expression while Mack had shaken his head.

“She likes you,” he said.

Rey had waved him off. “She likes publicity.”

After that, She’d had to stand behind the president during a very patriotic speech about their responsibility as a species to not cancel the mission, but to go on for the sake of their children.

The sake of their children . . . _yeah right._ It was a nice thought and made for a good byline, but it was so far removed from the truth. Rey had shaken hands with every kind of greasy politician, lobbyist, and attache that came through to speak to the small team that would be going into space.

They all put on a nice show, but in the end, even party lines were blurred when so much was at stake. Rey supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised. They all wanted the same thing: Nanites. They wanted to live for hundreds of years, just as Rey would.

“Are you listening, Rey?”

She was abruptly brought out of her contemplations by Mack’s less than pleased tone. Both Bauer and Mr. Taketemi were looking at her, and she shrank down in her seat.

“Of course,” she said absently, but Mack was having none of it.

“What time is your launch tomorrow?” he asked and Rey felt like she was back in school about to be scolded.

Her eyes went wide and Mack was no doubt about to rip her a new one when she heard Caserian.

_Four in the evening._

“Four!” she said quickly. “Four pm.”

His eyes narrowed before darting around the room suspiciously while Bauer and Taketemi laughed under their breath.

“Pay attention,” Mack said after a few seconds before going back to his checklist.

 _Thanks,_ she said.

He didn’t respond but she could hear his laughter.

* * *

The trip to return back to Earth had taken a few days longer than he’d have liked, but then the Resistance had never been terribly keen on working around Kylo’s schedule. It hadn’t helped that he was certain that this would be an extended trip and he was taking his division with him. Plans had to be revised and rotations rescheduled. He’d initially not planned to go with more than the _Defender,_ but Hux had convinced him that a show of force would perhaps be even more necessary than it had been before.

Kylo had eventually agreed. Earth was no threat, but the uncharted zone was the very heart to the Resistance and this could also be a trap.

The Supreme Ruler’s brows knitted the closer they approached the planet. She wasn’t there. She was back in the confusing maze of his empire. His fist slammed down upon the console, causing everyone on the bridge to flinch and look anywhere but at him.

2187 came up behind him. “Sir, is something wrong?”

Only the former stormtrooper would dare ask him such a question when everyone else was inching away from him.

“She’s gone again,” he said flatly

‘87 blinked owlishly. “Gone?”

Kylo could not help gritting his teeth. “As in she’s _not on the planet.”_

Hux looked up from where a radar tech was whispering to him. “Sir, we’ve picked up five separate hyperdrive signatures.”

Kylo’s eyes narrowed as he eyed the blue-green planet. That was too many. Londra Ren was there, as was the apprentice . . . Reyna’s recent trip and the assassins that the Knights had killed would account for two more. Another though . . .

“Five,” he repeated

Hux nodded. “Yes, one is fresh. The rest have yet to leave the planet.”

 _Someone else was there,_ he thought with a tilt of his head. Someone besides the assassins. He would have this world _crawling_ with Knights before he let the Resistance sink their claws into the light exemplar’s home planet.

He sent a few orders through the Force to the Knights that were aboard. _Be ready._

The Supreme Ruler turned away and was about to leave the bridge when Hux spoke up again.

“Sir, we’re receiving a communications signal from the planet.”

Kylo paused. He remembered the Earth humans attempting such a thing the last time he’d been there, though with less than admirable results. “On one of our frequencies?”

“On the standard maritime frequency,” the general said.

He allowed a slow smile to spread over his lips. “The Artist has been busy," he muttered before raising his voice to order, “Prepare my shuttle.”

* * *

Mack tried not to let his nervousness show as the winged ship that he recognized as belonging to Kylo Ren landed on the _front lawn of the god damn white house_. There were secret service everywhere with their guns pulled out and aimed towards the ship.

This could get very ugly, very quickly.

The ship landed and the ramp lowered. As before, white armored troops that he now knew to be called stormtroopers came out first followed by the blue armored Imperial Guard. At this point something new occurred: Figures swathed in black and masked just as Kylo Ren had been emerged. They were different though, and Mack knew instantly who they were.

The Knights of Ren.

There were only three there, but Rey had said there were hundreds, maybe thousands of the dark-side Force-users within the Corellian Empire. Their bodies moved sinuously as they weaved through the soldiers and guards before coming to a stop.

Except one.

One of them, female, he thought, came forward, her figure moving over the grass without any jarring motion of steps. She just . . . glided. The serviceman beside him had his gun raised, but she didn’t seem to even care about that as she approached Mack.

There was not a single patch of skin showing as she paused before him, the eye holes of her mask were a fathomless void, but she had five fingers just as he did. He could tell that much when she reached out.

“Force,” came a modulated whisper.

“Haila,” came another and Mack’s eyes were ripped from the Knight to see Kylo _fucking_ Ren emerge from the vessel. His face was uncovered and he was just as Rey painted him. His clothing was richer than it had been the last time, and he was resplendent in embroidered dark clothing, his trenchcoat stopping just below the polished dark knee high boots. He did not wear the mask this time, and his dark hair stirred a bit in the light breeze of the early morning.

But it was not only Ren that had caught Mack’s attention. Another walked a few paces behind the Supreme Ruler. A man in a black uniform with dark skin and eyes—a man whose face Mack had memorized after seeing it in so many of Rey’s photos.

FN-2187. The stormtrooper who had saved her.

Why was he here? Mack felt a creeping sensation of read filling him. Rey’s friend who should have been a nobody soldier was here, standing with her tormentor. As the Supreme Ruler drew closer, Mack could see his eyes looking around and taking in the armed guards and the people who had gathered just beyond the wrought iron fence in front of the white house. They were yelling and screaming, but it was hard to make out any one voice or message amongst the noise of the engines of the ship.

The Knight before him scampered back to Kylo Ren’s side, but the man was moving closer and there was the faint clicking of the gun in the serviceman’s hand.

“Whatever you do, do _not_ shoot that gun,” Mack whispered.

The man didn’t even blink. “My job is to protect the president. I don’t take orders from you.”

“If he was here to kill us, he’d have done it from his ship.” Mack said, agitation coloring his voice.

The serviceman wasn’t buying it. “Or he could want to make an example and do the deed in person. We both know what he did to that girl that last time he was here.”

And so the saga of Reyna Gillespie continued to be a thorn in Mack’s side. He sighed, but pulled himself together when the Supreme Ruler was a few feet from him.

“Shi’yin. Korwae gyan shedu’ah Kylo Ren’yah jidu leshken Kiria gi Co’rellia na,” he said and Mack blinked several times. He was able to pick out Kylo Ren’s name and Corellia, but that was it.

Mack held his hand out for the customary shake but the taller man just looked at it quizzically for a few seconds before looking back up at Mack, his face blank. Mack’s hand dropped a bit even as the serviceman’s gun came up fractionally more to account for the sheer height of the Supreme Ruler.

Ren’s hand came up and the serviceman froze, but 2187 merely stepped forward and placed something within his outstretched fingers. The Supreme Ruler brought it up to his face and fastened the black half mask to the lower half, covering his mouth and nose.

 

“Let us try this again,” he said, his voice taking on the modulation of the translator. “Greetings. I am Kylo Ren of the Corellian Empire.”

Mack was ninety five percent sure that he’d said more than that the first time, but he wasn’t about to contradict the man.

“My name is Michael Fallinger. I am a representative of the US government of Earth.”

Kylo Ren nodded. “I remember you from before,” he said before his eyes slid to the serviceman. “I hope you do not treat all visiting leaders in such a way.”

Of course they fucking didn't, but most visitors did not arrive in a goddamn spaceship either. And Reyna Gillespie was already gone so they had no one to consult with. _Two goddamn days,_ he thought with a subtle grimace. If they had just waited two more days . . .

There was nothing to be done about it. “We could not be clear of your intentions,” he said placidly instead.

Ren’s head tilted ever so slightly and while Mack couldn’t see the man’s mouth, he got the distinct impression that he was amused.

“I assure you, if I wanted to blast your little planet into dust, I would not need to land and _talk_ to about it first,” he said and Mack swallowed as his own words were repeated back to him. Ren’s eyes moved back to the gun. “And having your weapons pointed at me might make me feel unwelcome.”

The serviceman didn’t lower his gun—none of them did, and Kylo sighed as if he were much put upon. His hand came up and he clenched his fist. Mack heard the crunching sound of metal grinding in on itself as well as the surprised and angry noises of the guards as they dropped their crumpled weapons to the ground.

Mack licked his suddenly dry lips as he eyed the twisted mass of metal even as the serviceman beside him tried to pull another weapon. He didn’t get very far before Ren’s hand was out, his fingers outstretched and the serviceman froze.

“I’m beginning to think,” he said quietly—dangerously. “That you do not wish me to be here—that you have forgotten the lessons I taught you before . . . and that perhaps the Artist did not give you as much proper warning as she _should have.”_

By now the serviceman was wheezing as his airway was cut off. Mack looked from the serviceman to 2187, but the former soldier’s face was almost tranquil as though he hadn’t a care in the world. He would be no help, it seemed so Mack hurried to diffuse the situation.

“You have my sincere apologies, sir—Supreme Ruler. It is, of course, an honor to host your presence here. Please come with me and I’ll escort you to our leader—our president.”

The serviceman dropped to the ground and Kylo Ren met his eyes again. “That would preferable. Thank you.”

Mack didn’t allow the sagging relief he felt to show on his face or in his body language. He gestured for the man and his retinue to follow and he began leading them inside, the noise of the crowds and the ship fading as they entered the building.

The stormtroopers stayed behind with the ship while the three Knights, ‘87,  and the blue-robed imperial guard walked behind the Supreme Ruler. The president along with several ambassadors were already seated within a formal sitting room and Mack could see that the seat beside President Hunt was vacant, but Ren didn’t seem the type to sit like that.

The president got up and stuck his hand out much like Fallinger had done and Mack wilted a bit as the Supreme Ruler once more looked quizzically at the hand. Rey had said they didn’t shake hands, but no one had apparently noted that and now they were all looking like idiots to the Supreme Ruler.

“Is this a common gesture on your world?” Ren asked through the translator and Hunt cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“Yes, it’s a way of demonstrating friendship and equality,” the president said slowly as though speaking to a half-wit.

 _This was going to go well,_ Mack thought with an inner sigh.

Ren had apparently picked up on the less than subtle poke at him. “We are neither friends nor equal,” he said flatly, clearly uninterested in any kind of diplomatic nicety.

 _Oh jesus fucking christ,_ Mack thought as the president’s eyes went wide.

Hunt seemed unsure how to respond to something so blatant. “Mister Ren,” he began but the Supreme Ruler cut him off, his head tilting in confusion.

“I see insolence is a trait not limited to the Artist.”

President Hunt reared back as though he’d been slapped. “In-insolence!? You’re just a kid!”

Ren did look quite young in comparison to the seventy-plus-year-old man, but for the love of all that was holy, did he not read the debriefings? Kylo Ren was hundreds of years old. The imperial guard shifted subtly at the president’s tone. _Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck._

Kylo’s eyes shifted from the leader of the free world to Mack. “You,” he said softly. “You know what I am.”

Mack nearly backed up a step. “I—I’m not—”

The president tried to speak again, but the miniscule twitching of Haila Ren’s fingers had the man back down in his seat, his mouth shut. Mack looked at Hunt, horrified. Rey had said that these Knights were powerful—that they could do things. Between the gun and the guards outside and now Hunt . . . it seemed as though they were apex predators amongst a herd of sheep.

Haila’s mask turned to look at him. He could not see her face, but he could _feel_ the amusement of her mind as she read his thoughts. Hers . . . and someone else’s.

Ren stepped towards him and Mack had to look up to meet the other man’s dark eyes.

“I can see the secrets inside your mind. She told you _so much_ and you remember it _all.”_  he said before gesturing to Hunt. “Not like this . . . I will speak with you instead. I prefer not to have to educate my conversation partners.”

Mack looked over at Hunt who nodded quickly at him and the liaison swallowed. “I—Of course, Supreme Ruler.”

So far none of the other ambassadors or senators had said anything and Mack met some of their gazes. Many were petrified of the situation and more still had backed up a few steps when the president had been pushed into the chair.

They were all older, their hair going grey and wrinkles having long since set in. They eyed the young Supreme Ruler with fear, but there was a touch of avarice there as well. Not all of them would have been privy to the information about the nanites and the long life they granted but those in the know, were watching with baited breath. Rey had said the man was quite old.

“Five hundred and sixty three of your years to be exact,” Ren said without prompting.

Mack didn’t bother to ask about the mind reading. “We had theorized that the spectrum nanites might prolong a human life.”

The Supreme Ruler nodded. “They do. It is not immortality but the older you are the more your aging slows down.”

Mack wasn’t sure what else to say so he started with the obvious. “Miss Gillespie told us you would come back to find another girl.”

Ren was quiet for a few seconds before replying. “She was mistaken and she is no longer on this planet. When will she return?”

At this Michael blinked. “Miss Gillespie? We were under the impression that you had finished your business with her—That you would be looking for someone else. At least that was what she intimated to us.”

The other man’s tone was brisk. “As I said, she was mistaken. The Artist, Reyna Gillespie is the one I still seek.”

He’d brought her up a few times before—referring to her as the Artist—but Mack hadn’t thought much of it, but now the continued references made sense. “She said that you jettisoned her to a desert planet and left her there to die.”

There was the slightest of twitches around Kylo Ren’s eye. “Had I wished her to die, I would not have given her the nanites. I was angry when I sent her down to that planet. She attacked me and by rights, I should have killed her then and there. Instead I sent her to a trade world. By the time I returned for her, she had disappeared. I have been searching for her since then.”

Mack’s eyes narrowed. He knew what Rey had gone through—that she’d sold her mother’s wedding ring and if not for the generosity of FN-2187, she might have starved to death and died. She’d nearly done so in the hold of the very shuttle Kylo Ren had arrived in.

“That won’t happen again.”

Mack felt the man pressing against his mind, trying to influence him in some way, but he shook off the feeling. Ren’s head leaned down a bit as it happened, and Haila stepped closer, her masked face turning towards the Supreme Ruler. Kylo Ren looked at her for a beat before nodding and turning back to Mack. Neither had said anything but the liaison got the distinct impression that a conversation had taken place. The pressure decreased and his mind was clear again as Ren leaned away.

If the man was trying to convince Mack that he’d turned over a new leaf, he was failing miserably. The lady Knight let out a garbled sound that could have been a laugh, but he couldn’t be sure.

Ren didn’t seem offended by his thoughts. “Well, I’ll rephrase then. She will not be beholden to my orders. She will be my equal.”

Reyna Gillespie had night terrors because of this man—catatonic states of fear when she thought of him. “I’m afraid, we can’t help you. We don’t know when she’ll return.”

It went against every rule and protocol to say such a thing. This _emperor_ wanted a single girl—one that any other person in the room would willingly fling towards the alien ruler without hesitation. But he’d had his chance, and he’d thrown her away.

If anything, Ren seemed pleased. “Your efforts to defend her—even from me—are noted, futile gesture that it is.”

Mack’s lips drew in tight as his cleared mind finally processed the situation. He looked around the room at all the powerful and connected people here and he realized that no one had any defense against this man and his Knights. Kylo Ren hadn’t come to this particular place for peace. They had come for information.

At this thought, Ren’s eyes crinkled around the corners and Mack knew the man was smiling. Mack didn’t dare to say anything, however, as the panic that would ensue could literally end the world.

“What exactly do you want from her?” he asked.

Ren stared at him for a long moment before answering. “She is the light exemplar. She will become my partner as it has always been.”

He’d thought that that was where this was headed. “You think you’re both the reincarnations of other people,” he said dubiously.

The Supreme Ruler blinked boredly. “I can see you don’t know as much as I’d hoped you did. Neither she nor I are ‘reincarnations’. We are creations of the Force brought forth to keep the light and the dark in balance. There can be no darkness without light and light means nothing without shadow.”

Sounded like the same mumbo-jumbo that Rey had translated from that book of hers. “What does that even mean?”

“Perhaps, one day you will venture beyond this planet and you can find out,” he said before leaning forward. “You have some sensitivity. It’s a pity that you weren't trained as a child.”

Mack shook his head at that. He didn’t want to know. “Miss Gillespie isn’t here, but we’ll be sure to let her know that you stopped by.”

Hunt was probably ready to have an aneurysm at his words but Mack stared the Supreme Ruler dead in the eyes as he said them. Haila came from Ren’s side to stand closer to Mack, her fingers brushing the arm of his suit, but he hastily brushed her aside.

“Light-user,” she murmured and Ren nodded but didn’t elaborate further on that.

Rather, he cocked his head. “So hasty to be rid of me and mine, Mister Fallinger,” he said instead. “The Artist will eventually return here and when she does, I will take her back.”

Mack wanted to yell and scream that he couldn’t have her—that no one would let him take her again. But that would be a lie . . . and she would go, he knew—To save them again, she would go back to her nightmare man.

“It does not have to be so dramatic as all that,” Ren said quietly. “And I would not ask for _so much_ for nothing in return. My exemplar treasures this world. I would allow your system to be annexed into the Corellian Empire. You would have imperial protection and access to much of our technology.”

His hand came up again and 2187 produced a pad and placed it into Ren’s waiting fingers. The Supreme Ruler handed it over without looking at the contents and Mack took the small metal device hesitantly.

“This lists out the benefits and expectations we have for worlds that lie within our domain,” Ren said diplomatically.

There was the faintest of murmuring amongst the ambassadors, but Mack shook his head mutinously. “We’re already working to procure our own ships. We won’t need your protection.”

Ren didn’t seem surprised by his words. “You barter with something like this, no doubt,” he said as he reached within his shirt and pulled a silver chain from beneath. He held it up until a shining engagement ring came loose and hung there for everyone to see. The blue stone glittered in the low light, and he’d heard this ring described before. He’d even thought . . .

“That’s . . .” he began before trailing off.

The Supreme Ruler nodded. “Yes. It is Reyna’s mother’s ring. Her wedding ring—Made from enough platinum to create a multitude of hyperdrive engines.” He paused for a beat before continuing, a note of derision entering his voice. “And your people make _trinkets_ from it. I can think of plenty of species that further their existence by enslaving and strip-mining planets and _yours,”_ he said emphasizing the last word, “All the way out here in the depths of the uncharted zone, would be ripe for the picking.”

Mack’s eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening us?”

The ring was dropped and hidden once more within the folds of Ren’s clothing. “On the contrary. I would rather no other upstarts get any sort of idea that this planet is without defense,” he said before turning back to eye the president. “I would _buy_ your metal from you. Riches untold would be cast upon this world.”

They were the magic words to say when it came to a capitalist society that was eager for trade. There was no stopping this, Mack realized.

Ren turned back to the ambassadors, his eyes coming to stop on an older woman. The senator of Nebraska, he knew . . . the _Subcommittee Chair on Strategic Forces_ for the _Senate Arms Services Committee._ Mack wanted to call out—to get her away from him, but his voice died in his throat before any sound could escape. He felt Haila’s hands on his suit sleeve again and knew it was she who kept him quiet.

Ren ignored him and approached the senator, her breathing became short as fear and perhaps something else overcame her. The Supreme Ruler reached down and lifted her left hand, and the woman’s wedding and engagement rings shown in the light just as Rey’s ring had.

Kylo Ren was looking at the senator but his words were for Mack. “Would not the mothers, daughters and sisters of your world trade their rings and baubles for long life and health for their entire families? Would you not trade something so small for a _thousand years_ with your loved ones?” he asked.

Her eyes were vacant for the barest of seconds but it was enough to tell Mack that Kylo Ren had taken everything from her. The liaison barely kept his fraying temper in check as Ren released the woman and stepped away from her, turning back to face the Mack.

His eyes were searching. “The chance to move through my empire unimpeded to see everything this galaxy has to offer,” he said, zeroing in on Mack own wants and desires. “It’s not so high a price, is it?”

Mack flinched at the question. “But that’s not all you want.”

The half mask prevented Mack from seeing all of Ren’s expression, but Mack still _felt_ his smile and he wanted to vomit.

“No,” the Supreme Ruler said quietly. “You are right. For this gift, all I ask for . . . is _her_.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter required a major re-work to add in a character that wasn't supposed to make another appearance.

 

The ship dropped out of hyperspace and Rey felt the other members of her little crew crowd around her as they all wedged themselves into the tiny cockpit. Bauer was in the other seat, but Marina and Dr. Taketemi were leaning heavily into the small closed space. It really was only built for two people, not four, but she smiled anyway at the excited noises. 

She’d insisted on adding Dr. Patel to the crew last minute and the doctor had been walking on air since they’d left. She didn’t have much of a family, no siblings and her parents had died in a fire years ago. And she’d never been married, so she had breezed through the questionnaire about getting the injections. It was a tough thing to ask someone to take the nanites when it was very possible that their loved ones wouldn’t receive them any time soon—if ever. 

Everyone on the ship was in the same boat, and they all knew it. They all knew that if their mission was a success, they would be changed forever. They may have to watch everyone they know grow old and die while they remained unchanged. Rey had come to grips with this long ago, but she was unsure if her crew really knew what they were in for. She’d have never been chosen for such a mission, her partial mental instability notwithstanding, because of her close relationship with her brother.

If this mission went the way she hoped it would, she would have a legitimate in to get Poe the injection and ID chip. He seemed disinterested in the idea for now, but if— _ when _ he changed his mind, she would already have connections in place to make it happen without any meddling from Earth.

This all ran through her mind as she brought the ship about and steered them towards the planet. They were all ready for something besides the monotony of long-distance galactic travel. It had been seven days since they’d left Earth and they’d had nothing but the metal walls and one another to stare.

Rey would sometime share an earbud with Marina as the other woman watched her soapy romances on her laptop and watching the way the good doctor swooned over the idea of a whirlwind romance that swept her off her feet, Rey could see why no one had ever really stacked up to the fantasy. They weren’t really Rey’s cup of tea, but she’d rather pay attention to one of Dr. Patel’s romance movies instead of focusing on how awful the supplied M.R.E.s tasted. The second Rey got them their injections, she was taking them out for some real food.

Bauer and Dr. Taketemi liked to play with the galactic chess set that seemed standard to the Corellian YT freighters and after she’d explained it, it wasn’t uncommon to find the four of them huddled in the tiny space of the common area engaged in their own activities. 

There had been more space in there initially, but the Earth engineers hadn’t been able to tap into the powersource of the ship. As a result there were some rather impressive battery units lined up along the wall and they took up quite a bit of space in the already cramped tin can of a ship. The cargo areas had all been retrofitted as well with labs for both Dr. Patel and Dr. Taketemi and there were even more of the bulky batteries situated in those spaces. The  _ Pathfinder _ wasn’t made for this sort of use. It had been made for a two man crew to haul freight short distances through the empire. 

She hated looking at the batteries and wondered if perhaps Snap Wexley would be able to retrofit something so that all this equipment could tap into the ship’s power. It was a thought worth exploring later if and when they made it to Coruscant.

Still, the forced intimacy of the situation made it so that everyone was quite comfortable with one another by the end. But even with how comfortable everyone was with one another, when Takodana came into view, she was in complete agreement with the excitement the permeated the air.

“Wow!” Marina breathed as her eyes traced the swirling blue and green planet. Takodana was still as lovely as it had always been—a vibrant jewel in the dark of space.

Rey smiled, remembering her own excitement at every new planet she’d gone to see with Kord. She couldn’t wait to visit her friend, if only to let her know that everything was fine. Kord had been so worried about her before she’d left.

Bauer spoke up. “It looks like Earth,” he added, though that wasn’t quite right. Takodana was more green than blue, with very little in the way of sentient architecture to break up the colors. 

The German pilot moved the controls with her as she brought the vessel through the atmosphere and down towards Maz’s palace. He’d figured out how to read most of the controls as well as decipher the Aurebesh numerical language in the days since they’d left Earth. 

Dr. Patel  was already furiously scribbling down notes and sketches in her little pad as they approached the palace and began to set the craft down upon the landing pad. She was utterly fascinated with the study of people and Rey couldn’t wait to officially let her off the ship.

The ship jolted a bit as it touched down and she put it in low power mode. The other pilot sat in the secondary chair while Doctors Patel and Taketemi vied for the remaining space. The ship had no other view ports unless they deployed the gun turrets and it had been decided rather early on to leave those alone. 

Rey unbuckled her seatbelt and got up, passing between the doctors and allowing them to get a better look. The place looked much that same as it had before with acid-green foliage overgrown onto everything and cracked duracrete pads showing their hundreds or thousands of years of age. Dr. Patel would have been far more interested in the bar and Taketemi in the jungle, but neither of them would be able to take a sojourn today. 

As it was both the biologists had their binoculars out at look at everything they could see. She felt a little bad that they were stuck in here.

“If I can get you guys injections, we’ll come back, alright?” she said to them as she threw on a her favorite tan and black jacket. Well, it had been her second favorite. The first one hadn’t survived the shooting, but she wouldn’t be mentioning that to Kord. It was perhaps a touch more dramatic in aesthetic, but it would conceal her lightsaber.

Marina nodded absently while Taketemi ignored her entirely. They’d already had this conversation, after all. Rey left them there and began walking towards the hatch. She didn’t expect Marina to come jogging up after her.

“You forgot this,” she said, handing over the tiny earpiece.

Rey hadn’t forgotten it, but she couldn’t exactly say that. There were things she wanted to ask Maz about . . . things she didn’t want recorded. She’d have to find another way. Rey took the tiny machine and fitted it into her ear, anyway. They tested it quickly and she nodded. For now at least, they wouldn’t be able to understand anything being said . . . later though . . . hopefully it wouldn’t be a problem.

Rey stood by the hatch and nodded to Marina. “Gilas should be here to do his monthly rounds to the commune,” she said as she stepped into the airlock that had been retrofitted to the ship. “And if Gilas doesn’t know someone then Maz probably will.”

It was one of the reasons she’d insisted on that particular day to launch. Thank God it also coincided with Kylo Ren’s arrival to Earth. 

The airlock door would keep the rest of the crew safe from potential microbes and bacteria. It, like the batteries, took up a substantial amount of space, but after this mission, they hopefully wouldn’t need it anymore. The door closed and there was a hissing noise before the outer ramp opened up an she left the ship. It shut immediately behind her and she waved to the three of them as she passed the cockpit viewport.

It was a bit of trek to the palace, and she nodded at a few familiar faces as she passed. There were fewer ships, she noted, than there normally was. That only happened when there was suspicion of imperial presence. She bit her lip as she continued. If someone was there watching the bar, then they were looking for someone or something. There was nothing to fear, she knew logically. Thousands of people passed through this bar nearly every week and the imperial could be looking for anyone. 

Still, she would need to be careful not to draw any attention to herself.

Rey walked the beaten in path up to the stone palace and entered the courtyard. She couldn’t help smiling as the familiar banners and statuary came into view. She paused, looking up at the colorful smattering of every civilization that had come through. Rey reached into her pocket and pulled out a scrap of cloth.

It was white with an image of Earth in the center. It wasn’t anything fancy—it wasn’t even printed. It had been sent to her by a fourth grade class of an elementary school in South Dakota who had her photos of this very courtyard hung all over the classroom. They hand made this flag and sent it to her.

She dutifully hung it up next to a rather old looking faded blue flag that held the emblem of the Chiss Ascendancy. The lines of the emblem were nearly indecipherable, and probably a fairly analogy for the long gone people of the Chiss. She draped the Earth flag in such a way as to really show it off and snapped a few pictures of it along with a selfie or two, throwing up a ‘peace’ sign and a smile. 

Rey looked around again and wished she could identify more of the symbols, but that would have to wait for another day. The random threads of music that penetrated through the heavy wooden doors reminded her of her mission so she shoved her phone back into her pocket before heading the rest of the way.

She pursed her lips, before slowly pushing the door open. Hopefully her entrance would go largely unnoticed until she could speak to Maz. High-energy noise filled the air, downing out the creak of the door, and Rey smiled as she heard the familiar sound of dozens of different languages being spoken. 

She looked around for a quiet spot to sit to the side and wait when a loud booming voice cut through the cacophony.

“Reyna Gillespie!”

And so everyone was silent . . . and looking at her.  _ So much for keeping things on the DL, _ she thought as she turned and faced the tiny sentient.

“Hi Maz!” she called back with a tight smile and a stiff wave.

Rey made her way through the bar, nodding again to a few of the regulars that recognized her. She could not help reaching out and looking for the imperial . . . but she found nothing, at least no one thought anything of her at the surface level. She shrugged off her suspicions and met the small orange sentient at a low table towards the back. Rey waved a hand over the menu. Her financials were registered and the hologram with various images of food and drinks began to slide in front of her eyes. She moved her fingers back and forth, choosing her favorites.

“Couldn’t stay away, eh?” Maz asked as Rey finished her order.

She smiled. “I knew you’d miss me too much,” she said leaning back casually.

Maz wasn’t buying her act for a minute. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

Rey waited a beat before nodding. “My brother knows I’m not dead, and now my planet wants in on the rest of the galaxy, so I’m helping them out.”

That caused the little sentient to purse her lips thoughtfully. “Oh? You should be careful. You don’t want to draw the wrong kind of attention.”

Rey nodded as her food and drinks arrived. She’d ordered far too much, but she would take the excess back to Dr. Taketemi for him to look over.

Still, after eating those M.R.E.s, she stuffed her face anyway. “You know me, Maz. I’ll definitely keep everything low key.”

The sentient snorted derisively. “Good luck with that, girl.”

The doubtful tone that was not at all playful caused Rey to pause mid-bite. Her eyes narrowed and he set the fruit back down on her plate. Something had happened alright.

“Why was there an imperial here?” she asked and Maz nodded, seemingly thankful that Rey wasn’t as slow on the uptake as she used to be.

“They’re looking for you. A Knight came into the bar not two months ago asking questions. Did I not tell you to keep your power in check while you were travelling?”

“I  _ did!” _ she said hastily. “I didn’t even go to any planets with that had Knights on them.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “Because  _ someone _ has found out about you. Knights are drawn to power. If any of them sensed you, they’ll be like a dog after a bone.”

Maz’s hands did that flexing thing where her palms face up towards her. It was a common gesture that Rey still didn’t quite understand the meaning of.

She snorted derisively. “That doesn’t explain why they’re after me. I’m not exactly rolling in power and control at the moment.”

Maz shook her head. “You aren’t this stupid, Rey—or this naive. You  _ know _ why.”

Rey’s lips tightened but she didn’t answer. Maz merely raised a hairless brow and blinked at her. Rey shook her head quickly though she paused as Karrie’s words came back to her. She’d survived the galaxy and was a light-side Force user . . . There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind—that she was missing something . . . or ignoring it.

Her fists clenched and there was a sharp sound of glass grinding together. Rey immediately shook off her suspicions as her eyes found the hairline cracks threaded through her glass. She released the pressure that had whited her knuckles and put her trembling hand beneath the table. Perhaps she had some power, but she seemed to still have very little control of it.

“He probably wants to finish what he started,” she muttered unable to meet Maz’s gaze. The little sentient was watching her—could no doubt sense her anxiety and near paranoia at the thought of seeing the Supreme Ruler again.

Maz nodded. “In a manner of speaking.”

Rey gave her a long look and swallowed around the bile that rose in her throat at the thought of . . . “There you go again with your riddles,” she said a touch too lightly before looking away. “Look I didn’t come here just to visit.”

The sentient smiled knowingly. “I thought not. Alright, what are you looking for?”

She wouldn’t have been able to do this if the crew had accompanied her, but since they were absent she felt comfortable, though her eyes did dart around. One could never know who was listening.

_ I need ID chips, injections and I need them to be legal,  _ she sent, her gaze serious.

Maz tilted her head.  _ Those are hard to come by. Expensive too.  _

Rey nodded. _ I have the hyperdrive metal churkopt, _ she thought. _ I need those injections. _

The little sentient looked thoughtful, her gaze sweeping her establishment before returning to Rey.  _ How many?  _

_ Just three. _

Maz nodded and pointed towards a sleek red-armored alien that sat to the side along with a hooka-smoking sentient with sagging jowls. “See that man there?” she asked aloud, “He’s a delphidian. His homeworld is imperial but their people laws are far more sympathetic and loose when it comes those with ‘refugee’ status fleeing from the outer rim and the insurgency of the Resistance.”

Rey licked her lips as she eyed the sentient. She’d have never pegged him as a delphidian with that bright red mask of his, but the so many people wore masks around here, one never could tell. 

“How loose?” she asked before looking again at Maz. “Anyone who talks to my crew is going to know that they aren’t from around here.”

Maz didn’t seem worried though she leaned in. “His name is Sidon Ithano. His brother works as a magistrate overseeing the influx. He’ll take credits or something else of value and get you in the system. After that you’re on your own.”

She nodded. It wasn’t perfect, but it would work as a backup plan if Gilas couldn’t help her. She would be asking him to break the law, so if he said no, she couldn’t exactly be mad at him.

“Do you mind if I borrow one of your speeders and head to the commune? I need to speak with Gilas,” she said.

Maz threw her a questioning look. “Is he here?”

Rey couldn’t stop her confusion from showing. “Isn’t this the usual time that he visits the commune?”

Maz shook her head. “Rey, I haven’t seen him in months. I haven’t seen anyone from the commune—not in a while.”

“No one?” Rey asked incredulously. “Kord leaves the commune at least once a month to visit her clients.”

Maz shook her head again. “I’m telling you, no one from there has been here in nearly two months.”

She sat back as the little sentient got up and left.  _ What the hell was going on, _ she wondered. Rey called for a box and stuffed the excess fruits into it before closing her tab and leaving, the boxes tucked beneath her arm. The bartender tossed her a key chip on the way out and she headed for the small side yard where Maz kept her landcraft.

Rey hopped on after securing the boxes and started it up. The path to the commune was unchanged and she may have gone faster than was really called for. The thirty minute trip took her just over twenty and soon she was coming to a halt in the tiny clearing outside the common area. Sure enough, Gilas’s favored cruiser was nowhere to be found.

“What the hell,” she said aloud as she walked the path towards the commune’s center. Rey looked around, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. The foliage was still being cared for and trimmed and as she turned a corner, she could see some of the other residents—the ones who didn’t really leave anyway—working on various sculpture and carvings in the distance. Some acknowledged her presence while others did not, but that too was fairly usual. She kept her pace even and swift as she approached Kord’s white plaster shell-shaped house.

Rey looked up into the sky at the setting sun before her eyes moved back to the white home. Normally Kord would be out under her pergola drinking wine and taking in the colors of nature—her favorite source of inspiration.

But all was quiet.

She swallowed before pushing the gate open and making her way down the graveled path towards the front door. It crunched loudly in the din and she’d only made it a few steps when the front door was thrown open and an indigo and white blur launched itself at her.

Rey couldn’t help laughing as Kord’s arms came around her. “I haven’t been gone that long!” she said.

Kord clung to her for a moment before releasing her. “Long enough,” she responded with a smile before stepping back and looking her over. “I knew that outfit would suit you. You always liked the softer colors, but a little edge keeps things interesting,” she said. 

 

Rey shook her head. “You know me too well. Listen I can’t stay long. I have to leave in another couple of hours, but I wanted to stop by before going.” she bit her lip. “I didn’t see Gilas’s cruiser in the clearing. I thought he’d be here,” she said.

“Gilas?” Kord asked, her eyes blinking slowly. “Oh, he’s off on a sabbatical. Some kind of chagrian tradition to rejuvenate one’s aura or something.”

That . . . didn’t seem like Gilas. He’d always laughed off anything even remotely spiritual and flaunted the traditions of his people by being unmarried and in business for himself rather than on behalf of his family.

“Oh,” she said finally.

Kord nodded distractedly. “I know right, I’ve never even seen him take a vacation but he’s been off visiting family on his home world. He left one of his nephews in charge of the business. Quilin Jir’ed. He’s no Gilas but he’s not bad either.” 

As she spoke, they entered her home and the place was . . . for lack of a better word: a wreck. Fabric was draped over every flat surface and droids wheeled this way and that carrying bolts of material, mannequins, and sewing machines around the home. Kord could get a little obsessive with her work but this was beyond even her.

“What’s going on?” Rey asked, her stride coming to a halt in the doorway and her eyes moving over the delicate silks and embroidered brocades. Everything was in shades of gold, blush, and champagne with an ethereal quality that wasn’t quite fitting with current upper-class style which favored more blue-purple tones at the moment. It was all quite beautiful—perhaps ever her most beautiful collection yet—and that was saying something. Rey also recognized the rather . . . revealing style as the trend on Corellia where it was warm year round in the capital.

Kord grabbed her hand. “Big  _ big _ order, Rey,” she said leading her through the mounds of scribbled sketches and furiously beading L-5 droids.

The mess extending from Kord’s formal receiving room and into her studio and even her dining room. “I can see that.”

The twi’lek nodded almost vacantly. “The most important order of my life, I think,” she said with a dopey smile.

This was so unlike Kord that Rey couldn’t help dipping into the other woman’s mind looking for the cause of her strange behavior. What she found was  . . . nothing. A dense fog had enveloped Kord’s mind and she only seemed to know one thing. 

She had an order. An important one for an important person.

“Kord . . .” Rey began. “Who is the order for?”

The twi’lek paused and blinked at her . . . and kept blinking. Rey stepped forward and reached out, her finger brushing the other woman’s temples.

A shriek ripped through her mind and burning red eyes stared back at her. Rey pulled away with a gasp and stumbled back and into an impressive golden gown. Kord was in no better shape as she collapsed into a pile of fabric on the ground, her fingers digging into her lekku.

“What the fuck,” Rey whispered, swallowing. There was some kind of seal on Kord’s mind—put on her by either Kylo Ren or one of his Knights. He  _ really was _ out to get her.

“This is not fucking possible,” she said to herself. “I’m not . . .” Rey met her friend’s eyes. They were vacant and seemed confused as the what was happening.

Rey reached out and took the other woman’s hand. “I’m sorry,” she said. This was her fault. She’d brought him here and Rey couldn’t fix what had been done to her. 

Kord shook her head and pulled away as she got up. “I need to finish soon,” she said with an almost pained moan. “They’re for her.”

Rey looked around at all the gowns that surrounded them. He’d sent Kord on a fool’s errand to punish her—for what, Rey didn’t know. Perhaps they were for the light exemplar, perhaps he would use them as kindling. She didn’t know and she didn’t care. Rey watched as Kord got up from the pile of fabric and went to finish pinning another of the sheer gowns. 

She got up and took a steadying breath. She . . . she needed to find Maz. Maz could surely help her. Rey gave Kord one last look before hurrying out of the house and back to the clearing. She threw a leg over the speeder and was gone in seconds.

_ How could this have happened? _ she wondered. Why would someone _ —Kylo Ren _ do this? Her fists clenched around the speeder handles. Something was clearly going on. Gilas was missing and Kord had gone off the deep end. Maz had said that a Knight had come through asking questions about her. None of this was a coincidence, but how far did it extend? 

Her eyes narrowed. FN-2187 had already been scooped up by Kylo Ren, and now either he or someone of his ilk had made their way to Takodana. She couldn’t write any of this off anymore, couldn’t keep her eyes shut to what was happening.

The visions of the past exemplars . . . the lightsaber . . . the connection with the darkness . . . was it possible?

As she pulled into the side yard of the palace and parked the speeder, she couldn’t help but wonder. Could it be true?  _ How _ could it be true? It all made perfect sense except for one thing. 

He’d left her to die.

Rey had lived through the visions of the exemplars—hundreds—thousands of people so devoted to one another and always willing to do whatever they needed to to protect one another. How could Kylo Ren had done all that to her if she were the exemplar?

Rey let her eyes fall shut. She shouldn't have left. She’d thought that running and hiding on Earth would give her peace, but now all she had was questions and suspicions that ate at her. She should have stayed. If Kylo Ren had come to the commune to kill her . . . or take her, then at the very least she would have known. No more of this back and forth, no more of the speculation, and Kord . . . She could have at least protected Kord.

“Fuck,” she muttered at her own morbid thoughts. God damn Kylo Ren had her all twisted up inside. But Kord. She needed to help Kord. Her steps were quick and her breathing fast as she hurried back into the building and easily spotted Maz, carrying glasses back to the bar.

No one paid her any mind this time as she walked towards the center of the room. The little sentient turned around to face her, eyes narrowed through the the magnified glasses. She jerked her head to the side and Rey nodded, heading over to the back door. Maz met her there and they went inside.

Maz eyed her—could almost certainly sense the tension that coiled deep within her. “What’s wrong?” she asked seriously.

Rey licked her very chapped lips. “Kylo Ren or maybe one of his Knights was at the commune. They did something to Kord,” she said.

Maz seemed less surprised and more disappointed. “I had hoped that nothing had happened, but it seems . . .”

Maz didn’t finish and Rey shook her head. “There’s some kind of fog in Kord’s mind—a seal. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I couldn’t break it.”

Now this caught the sentient’s attention. “What was she doing?”

“Making dresses,” Rey said angrily. Kord did not deserve this—didn’t deserve any of it.

Maz seemed relieved but Rey wasn’t. “Can you help her?”

The smaller woman shook her head. “No, child. The effects of the seal will wear off once she thinks she’s completed the task that was given to her. The only thing any of us can do is wait.”

Rey blinked. “That’s it?” she asked.  _ “Wait? _ You didn’t see her in there! She’s gone mental over this!”

Maz didn’t seem any happier about the outcome. “It will pass when she finishes.”

She shook her head incredulously. “What if she never finishes? What if her task was to sew till her fingers fall off?”

“The only one who can remove a seal is the one who placed it . . . or perhaps the direct student of the one who placed it.”

Rey licked her lips. “Caserian,” she said. “I’ll bring Caserian back here,” she added hastily.

Maz nodded. “I make no promises, but you have other problems to deal with far sooner.”

_ Oh for fucks sake. _ “What kind of problems?” she asked, because apparently this really wasn’t her day. 

Maz raised a hairless brow as she pushed the door open and pointed out into the noisy bar. Rey followed her finger and blinked slowly before her eyes shut in irritation. 

_ “Shit,”  _ Rey said with a twitch of her eye before sighing. “Where did he go?” she asked as she looked around.

Maz wasn’t phased. “He’s loading his ship. You need to hurry if you want to catch him.”

“Of course, he is,” she muttered before waving at the sentient and running out of the bar.  _ If I ever write a memoir, this day will have it’s own chapter, _ she thought. She ran up and down the landing pads looking for the vibrant red armour of the man she sought. 

“Where are you?” she asked aloud, her eyes continuing to scan the area for Sidon Ithano. He had to still be here, she thought panting with all the running she’d been doing. Just when she began to believe that she’d missed him, she spotted not him, but the hooka-smoking sentient that had been with him . . . who was still smoking.

She approached the ship and sure enough, within a few seconds, Sidon appeared from the inside, carrying a data pad and handing it over to what she assumed was his partner. 

“Hey!” she called and the delphidian turned around to face her. His face was obscured by the red mask he wore, but she could clearly see his slitted yellow eyes. He towered over her, by at least a foot and a half and he looked down at her impatiently.

“What,” he asked, and she could not only hear the irritation in his voice but also in his mind. He had a schedule to keep and he was running behind on a deliver. Pretty girl or not, the chances of him being paid dwindled with every minute late that he was. The other sentient ignored her and went up into the ship, leaving her alone with Sidon.

She looked around before stepping forward. “I heard you could get me injections and ID chips,” she said.

His gaze looked over her curiously—mockingly. “And what do you need with citizenship? I’ve seen you here before. You are already a member of the empire.”

His voice was low with a crackling quality that reminded her of theatrical trailer voiceovers, and she could tell he cultivated it, usually to win over the ladies.

She nodded. “I have friends who are not. Two men and a woman.”

The outlandish red mask tilted and the eyes were amused. “Bringing your lovers home, are you?”

She raised a brow. Sidon was asking, not only to poke at her, but also as a genuine question. The delphidian had indeed seen her at Maz’s bar . . . And he’d liked what he’d seen.

Rey didn’t roll her eyes. “Who they are is not important. Can you get me the injections or not?”

He considered her for a moment. He knew who she was—knew she was the one called Artist. “It’s not cheap,” he said

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny glass vial. The contents rattled around as she handed it over. He took it, confusion radiating off of him as he held it up to peer inside at the small silvery pellet.

“What the hell is this,” Sidon asked, his yellow eyes narrowing once more.

Rey smiled. “Churkopt,” she said. “Enough for a class 1 hyperdrive.”

He froze at her words, his fingers curling around the vial as greed filled his mind, and thoughts of offering her ‘other means’ of paying for an introduction to his brother died. He was all business now.

She raised both her brows. “There is another of those for your brother when my friends get their chips,” she added.

He looked at the vial for a minute. He’d never actually seen churkopt in such a way. The stuff was so rare, that finding a piece the size of a grain of sand was cause for celebration.

“You have  _ more _ of this?” he asked suspiciously.

“I do,” she said with a steady nod.

“On your ship, he concluded. “Prove you have more and then we go.”

Rey allowed her head to tilt ever so slightly. That had been far easier than she’d expected, and sure enough a more cursory look into the delphidian’s thoughts revealed his intent. He planned to rob her. The man still had a delivery to make and he figured he could get his payday and the churkopt by relieving this obviously stupidly trusting human female of her belongings.

She sighed. Sidon Ithano had really picked the wrong day. “This way,” she said and began walking towards the landing pad that the  _ Pathfinder _ was currently docked on.

He stayed close behind her, but he wouldn’t dare try anything until the door to her ship was open and he could get inside. She saw Arik looking out from the cockpit viewport as they approached, his eyes bugging out at the sight of the massive red-armoured alien. 

Even if things went south with her, he still wouldn’t be able to get past the airlock doors inside. Her crew would still be protected and Maz would help them if worse came to worse. But as her mood spiraled downwards and she felt Sidon gearing up to make his move, she found that she wasn’t afraid of him, but rather afraid for him.

Rey came to a stop before the ship and waved her hand over the keypad. As expected, the ramp hadn’t even lowered more than a few inches before a blaster was shoved into her back.

“We take things nice and slow and you won’t have to die,” Sidon said softly.

Rey saw Dr. Patel watching from behind the airlock with wide eyes. She beat against the window, but Rey shook her head. She would have closed the ramp again if she could have, but things were about to start moving quickly.

Sidon saw the airlock door and didn’t seem to know what to make of them. “Get me inside,” he said impatiently, the blaster digging painfully into her side.

Rey didn’t move. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked carefully, feeling the tendrils of the Force slowly wrapping around his blaster.

Sidon made a tsking noise. “Rather dumb question considering your current position,” he said.

She shrugged before swiping her fingers to the side, sending his blaster into the air. It scuttled onto the duracrete but Rey wasn’t paying attention to that. Her lightsaber flew from its holster and into her hand as she whirled around, the blade coming to a halt mere inches from the delphidian’s neck. His eyes were wide and she didn’t need to read his mind to sense his surprise

She allowed the sizzling blade to hover even closer to his neck and saw the subtle flinch as it burned through his armor. “I’ll ask you again,” she said. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

His reptilian eyes moved from the glowing saber to her face. “You don’t look like a Knight,” he said and he knew he’d already be dead if she was.

“That’s because I’m not,” she answered aloud.

He drew away slightly but she kept her saber pointed towards him. He was eyeing it—and her. Taking in the color of it and she heard the word that flitted through his mind.

_ Jedi _ . . .

She smiled.  _ I’m not one of those, either. _

She heard the harsh intake of breath through his mask and saw the bobbing of his throat as he swallowed. His hands came up from his sides and he held them towards her, palms open and empty.

“I apologize,” he said finally—grumpily and she nodded, the saber powering down.

“I will get you what you want,” he said, his eyes flitting from her to the three other humans that no doubt had their faces plastered to the airlock door. “We go to the Delphidian Cluster, entry section GH5. Bring your ship close to mine and we will leave as soon as I finish loading my cargo,” he said, his hands dropping back to his side. 

She nodded and he continued. “I will put you in contact with my brother, but that is all I will do,” he said.

She smiled benignly. “Thank you for your help.”

He waved her off and walked away, picking up his blaster as he left. He put on a good show of being unconcerned, but she heard the furious beating of his heart inside his chest and the even more furious thoughts of the return of the Jedi Order . . . as though the Knights of Ren weren’t bad enough.

She turned back around and sure enough all three of her crew mates were there watching the entire thing. She reholstered her lightsaber and went inside the ship. The ramp closed behind her and she shucked off all her clothes for decontamination before pulling on another set that she’d left beforehand.

“Rey!” Arik said as she finally came through the door. “What the fuck was that?”

Marina was eyeing her, eyeing the the lightsaber that was currently being decontaminated.

“I made a deal,” she said. “To get what we need.”

“But how did you get the blaster away from him? You didn’t even touch him.” Dr. Taketemi added.

“He’s clumsy,” she said before turning and walking away towards the cockpit. Neither Bauer nor Taketemi followed, but Dr. Patel did. She stayed quiet as Rey lifted the ship from the ground and flew it the short distance towards Sidon’s vessel. She landed close by so she could keep an eye on when they left.

“You used the Force,” Marina said quietly. “I saw you.”

Rey didn’t meet her eyes. “You don’t know what you saw.”

Marina wasn’t giving up so easily. “Rey, you can talk me. You’ve always talked to me.”

“Not about this,” Rey said quietly. “Not about what I’ve . . . become.”

Marina reached over and put her hand on Rey’s arm. “I know you’re afraid, but you don’t have to be. Even if you can do those things . . .” she reached over and put her hand on Rey’s arm. “You aren’t him.”

Given her current suspicions about what she truly was . . . Rey shook her head. “You don’t know that,” she said. “You don’t know anything about what’s happening here.”

“Then  _ talk _ to me, Rey. Tell me what’s happening.”

Rey didn’t respond. How could she explain the darkness of Kylo Ren or speak of the way normal people were but insects to the Knights of Ren? Dr. Patel was a truly good person and after what had happened to Kord . . . Rey couldn’t bring herself to add another friend to the list of people who had become targets. 

Marina didn’t know . . . could never  _ know _ what he and those Knights of his were capable of. 

“Maybe one day, when we’re both old and grey, it will be safe and I can tell you,” she said, her eyes never leaving the view beyond the cockpit of her ship.

* * *

Kylo stood before the large viewport in his office. Earth hung there in the distance as his ship circled the remote planet. His finger reached up and traced the lines of the continents, specifically the area  _ she _ lived in. Such a small and undeserving world that his exemplar had been born into.

Even now, they vied for concession after concession from his negotiators as though it was they who had the upper hand. Kylo had ordered a certain amount of indulgence to them, but his patience would run out soon if they were not careful.

The chime at his door rang and he sighed. It was not the one he sought.

“Enter,” he called and the doors slid open smoothly.

His former apprentice stepped inside and the doors shut behind him.

“Master,” Londra said evenly.

Kylo did not turn around. “I did not call for you.”

Londra was quick with his answer. “Nevertheless I heard your summons and I knew . . . he would not come to you.”

Kylo had known as well, though he supposed hope would always spring eternal when it came to his youngest apprentice. “Are you here to clean up after him once more, Londra?” Kylo asked as he finally turned around to face his first apprentice. His skin glowed more blue than green in the reflected light of the planet and his eyes were as pale and milky as they’d always been.

  
  
Londra Ren  
Species: Falleen

“I am the one at fault, master,” he said quietly and with a meekness not normally on display for the proudest of Knights. 

Kylo’s eye twitched. “I doubt that,” he said. Londra had always had a soft spot for Caserian . . . or a blind spot, apparently. 

“I truly believed he was here on your behest,” the Falleen Knight murmured, the implication that Londra should have known that the man he saw as a younger brother would lie to him was left unsaid, but he heard it anyway. He, like Kylo, had always believed that Caserian's apathy and rebellious nature would sort itself out as he got older and that he would return to the family that Kylo Ren had built for himself on Corellia.

Kylo sighed. “Even if you had gotten the message to me when she left, I was still far too close to Earth to turn around, and I am not . . . displeased with the turn of events.”

Londra was quiet for a moment. “Master, Caserian only thinks of the light exemplar and her safety. He . . . he is still of use to you.”

The Supreme Ruler eyed Londra. His apprentice thought he would punish, perhaps kill Caserian for his treachery. In the past, before he’d found the Artist . . . perhaps he would have.

“I will not harm Caserian. He’s not mine to punish anymore—not truly. I intend to grant him the separation he requested.” Kylo paused, a small smile spreading on his features. “Not that it matters. He would return to Corellia even if he had to walk there.”

The door chimed once more and this time it was an expected interruption.

“Enter,” he called once more and Mitaka came in carrying a large datapad.

Kylo held his hand out and Mitaka placed it into his outstretched palm. 

“These just arrived from Takodana.”

Kylo looked over the images and smiled. Keeping the twi’lek alive had been one of his better decisions, it seemed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite what you guys are thinking, Kord never was killed, but after talking to @darth-ej I decided to add Dr. Patel back into the story. It was kind of last minute so that's why she was never mentioned in the last chapter. 
> 
> I'm going to still try and update weekly, but things are getting harder with school so I've been falling behind. It doesn't help that the last few chapters have required major re-writes and I'm figuring that will be a continuing trend as I have a ton of ideas that have materialized as I've written and posted this story. The overall plot has never changed, but the characters are so much more three dimensional now that I need to make sure to address all of their personality quirks as the plot moves along.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Note: I wasn’t really happy with the last chapter so I edited and reposted it. **I added about 2000 more words to it** and some things have definitely changed–hopefully for the better. 
> 
> If you were one of the early readers on the last chapter, like you read it within 24ish hours of it being posted, please go back and re-read the chapter as that will be how I reference those events going forward.

Sidon had only hung around long enough to connect her comm to his brother’s private line and then he was gone. Maz had apparently overestimated the relationship between the two siblings. Half-brothers who shared a mother, but were sired by different men.

Rey wanted to roll her eyes as she translated the imperial database’s overview of the delphidian people. In their society, women didn’t raise their sons. There was no marriage, there was only an exchange of goods in the form of male children for credits, while the women often paid for stud service to raise daughters as heirs to their own matriarchal families. 

Sidon Ithano and Grulda Vin barely knew each other. 

Still, Vin had been happy to accept her form of payment after his half-brother confirmed its authenticity. She noticed that Sidon didn’t mention that she was a Force-user, but then he didn’t seem overly fond of his more well-to-do brother, either.

Her three crew members were wide-eyed as the negotiation took place and she spoke to Vin about what she was looking for. He eyed her carefully, but gave her docking permission into his sector.

Grulda Vin was as tall as his brother and his voice was nearly the same. He wore a standard black imperial uniform, however there was a sleeveless black trench edged in blue draped over him that denoted his position as a sector magistrate. As he came to greet them, he was followed by several lower level officers, but no stormtroopers or imperial guard.

She let out the breath that she hadn’t known she’d been holding. He could have easily arrested her for attempted bribery, but it looked like Maz’s insight had been correct.

“Greetings, Raenha Kilesvy,” he said, his eyes moving over her form much as his brother’s had. She didn’t bother hiding her saber this time and those slitted yellow eyes lingered there. She saw his fingers twitch before they rose to show his open palms.

She nodded in return and his hands dropped back down quickly. 

“I believe you have something for me,” he said bluntly.

She snorted before reaching into her pocket and pulling the tiny vial out. She handed it over and he, like his brother had eyed the small pellet with confusion before passing it off to his assistant who promptly ran off with it.

“Despite Sidon’s assurances, we’ll need to test that. I hope you understand,” he said with a flat tone.

Rey nodded. “By all means. For now, we can get the background information down for the rest of my crew.”

He nodded and stepped back as another delphidian came forward with a datapad. She rattled off information nearly identical to what was written in her own files. Refugees from Kalee seeking asylum after the biological attacks launched by the Resistance. 

She wrote their names down in aurbesh as best as she could, and asked for a copy of the datapad so she could make sure that the others became well versed just in case they were questioned.

As she wrote, she couldn’t help but mentally laugh at the way Dr. Patel got as close to the delphidians as she dared, moving nearer and nearer to them, her face stoic and seemingly uninterested, but anyone with a set of eyes could see the barely contained fascination. They noticed of course, but ignored her they did their jobs.

Rey was just finishing when the assistant ran back into the room and whispered something into Grulda Vin’s shape-less ear. The man nodded before meeting her eyes.

“Your churkopt checks out. Please come this way and we’ll get your chips entered into the database,” he said.

Rey eyed him, unable to stop herself from giving his mind a quick look.  _ The money for the churkopt was not for him, _ she thought. The magistrates of the Delphidian Cluster took these side transactions to generate additional credits to help with the rebuilding efforts on their own worlds. 

_ The Resistance, _ she realized. They’d used entire Delphidian cities as hostages as they’d launched attacks on neighboring systems. The efforts by the empire to remove the threat had inflicted a massive amount of damage on much of the infrastructure in the major metropolitan areas. Relief efforts were underway, but credits to keep up the pace of rebuilding fell short time and again.

Rey grimaced as she followed. She felt guilty, she realized. They desperately needed the credits and were willing to break the law in order to help their people. She and her crew were taking advantage of that. Her nails bit into the palm of her hand as the others were directed to sit down at different check stations.

She stood to the side, watching the process. Vin walked over to stand beside her, the shadow of his presence heavy over her.

“I hope you found what you were looking for,” he said.

Rey didn’t flinch at the accusation, but she didn’t meet his eyes either. “I am sorry for your circumstances,” she said. “If there was another way, I wouldn’t have . . .”

Vin snorted, uninterested in her pity. “And then my people would not have the benefit of the nearly two hundred thousand credits you just handed over,” he said. “Do not be sorry. I am not. We all do what must be done to protect our own. Isn’t that why you’re here?”

At this she did finally look up at him.  _ Weakly Force-sensitive, _ she decided.  _ Untrained. _ He barely registered with her, but he’d clearly felt her presence within his mind. His was perhaps a more subtle connection, but it was there nonetheless.

And then she registered his words.  _ Two hundred thousand credits. _ That’s what a five gram pellet was worth out here. It was more than even she’d thought. Her very rough exchange rate put that at somewhere around one point two million US dollars. With the going rate on Earth for platinum set at just over thirty dollars per gram . . . some people were about to become very rich. And Rey had let her mother’s ring go to Waldreg for a lousy hundred and fifty credits. 

_ Little bastard, _ she thought bitterly.

Rey crossed her arms and looked the man over, making a decision on how trustworthy he was. Grulda Vin, she decided, was nothing like his brother. He reminded her of Mack in a lot of ways. He was exceedingly pragmatic and had gotten to his position by making connections and always doing right by said connections.

“I have legal residence within the empire but the people on my planet are new to the galactic stage. This is just to help us get our foot in the door.”

Vin nodded, wheels turning in his mind. “Yours is a rich planet if they have churkopt raining down on them like that,” he said and he didn’t try to hide his intent to use the information he gleaned from this conversation to help his people. An unknown world—primitive, though very rich—was about to reveal itself.

He wanted to know the name of her planet. He wanted to know everything, but he didn’t dare to ask. Theirs was not a close enough relationship for him to risk having his overtures rejected. 

He was right, though. She wouldn’t have told him the name of her planet. Grulda Vin, himself might not have been a bad guy, but the Delphidian Cluster was not in a good place financially and knowledge of a primitive planet unable to defend itself, rich with the rarest metal in the galaxy might push others to take action.

They both knew the reality of the situation.

Rey snorted as she defused the mental tension. “We’ll see how long they hold onto it. There are toydarian levels of greed going on on my planet.”

His smile was all fanged teeth as he looked down at her. “Such is usually the case with primitive worlds,” he said offhandedly. “There will always be greed, but once a planet achieves the ability to feed, house, and care for their entire population—when it is no longer necessary to take from one person to give to another, that is when the true elevation of a species achieved.”

She rolled the concept around in her head for a moment. He wasn’t talking about money, he was talking about equal distribution of all resources to the entire population with no one person being left out or behind. That seemed like such a pipedream for her planet. It was a nice idea in theory, however the initiative to actually do something like that . . . Were they ready for that? Were they even capable of it?

He could see the indecision on her face. “You do not think much of them, and yet you act on their behalf.”

She shrugged. “They aren’t all bad,” she said as her eyes paused on Marina. “Some of them are even great.”

“How long will you continue this way?”

There was more to the question than what was presented on the surface and she looked back up at him, silent.

“You are not a Knight,” he added. “And yet you carry the blade of the Force-users.”

_ Ah  _ . . . “I’m independent. For now I’m contracted to work on behalf of my government.”

His head tilted. “And after?”

She smiled. “I don’t know yet. A lot can happen in ten years.”

Vin was quiet for a beat. “I’m sure you noticed . . . that I am not completely normal.”

Rey blinked slowly, unsure if she should acknowledge such a thing.

His lips curled on the side. “There are many on my planet who are like me. When your business with your planet is completed, I would offer a position to teach here in the Delphidian Cluster.”

“Teach?” she asked rather dubiously. It was one thing to teach one kid to paint, but using the Force was a whole other animal.

Grulda Vin seemed irritated all of the sudden. “The Knights only accept the strongest of students. They’ve tried taking children from here before but they nearly always perished while at the Academy. Our children are incredibly fragile. It is not until we reach adulthood that our skeletons completely calcify. The Knights rarely take adult apprentices and so my people have never been given the opportunity to learn about the Force.”

“But you want learn anyway,” she said.

He snorted as he down at her. “Did you not sift through my mind to find what you wanted to know upon first meeting me?”

She swallowed guiltily, but he didn’t sound offended.

“I am a magistrate of this system,” he said placidly. “And yet it was so easy for you to read all of my intentions. I would have future generations at least able to protect themselves.”

Rey looked away, suddenly ashamed of her actions, though she could not regret them. She’d needed to know that they would not be betrayed.

“I’ll think about,” she said.

“I hope you will. You would have a comfortable life here,” he said before walking away.

Rey took a steadying breath just as three delphidian technicians walked in carrying trays.

She sat down on the stool between Bauer and Dr. Patel and both were blinking slowly. They’d have just gotten the translation nanites, she realized, and their brains were processing the changes in their neural structures.

“Ya’ll okay?” she asked.

Marina nodded absently before turning to Bauer. “Say something in German,” she said and Rey snorted.

“I’m not a circus clown to do tricks for you!” he said with sneer, but Marina’s wide smile made the grumbling man shake his head in return.

Rey looked at the tray and recognized the cylinder for the subcutaneous chip and another . . . the spectrum injection. 

It suddenly made sense that they would have given the translation nanites first when one of the delphidians began to explain the procedure. “The spectrum nanites are designed to break down any abnormalities in the DNA and restructure them to within normal parameters. If you have any sickness or disease, they will break down those cells immediately. It is usually advised to do this when citizens are young, in order to limit the pain.” He paused a second before adding meaningfully, “It’s very likely that this will be quite uncomfortable for you, so feel free to yell or scream if you need to.”

Dr. Taketemi looked fairly stoic at the idea, while Marina’s dark skin took on a greenish tinge.

“It’ll be alright,” Rey said.

Marina leaned in. “I didn’t know it was going to hurt.”

Rey hadn’t either, but then she’d been unconscious when it had happened to her. While the subcutaneous chip was encased in a solid metal cylinder, the spectrum injection was a dark electric blue liquid that was there for all to see in a clear glass tube. The needle at the end was rather thick and seemed closer to a biopsy punch than an injectable needle. 

Arik was the first to present his neck and they all three watched like penguins waiting to see if the first one to venture into the water was eaten by killer whales. He didn’t yell or scream but his face turned red and he leaned back in the chair, his eyes squeezed shut. His adam's apple bobbed rhythmically for a few seconds before he finally spoke.

“Worth it,” he muttered in German and she snorted while Marina and Dr. Taketemi laughed softly.

Dr. Taketemi took it like a champ, though Marina’s nails dug into Rey’s skin hard enough to allow blood to well up to the surface.

“Holy crap, that hurts,” the other woman muttered, her breaths heaving as beads of sweat welled up on her forehead.

Rey watched her as Dr. Patel’s tensed form began to ease and eventually her friend’s eyes opened.

“Are you okay?” Rey asked, concerned.

Marina swallowed and took a another deep breath. “Yes, I think so. So, not going to grow old anytime soon?”

Rey smiled and shook her head. “No. You’re gonna be around for the long haul,” she said as the delphidian holding the tray came forward.

“Which is your dominant hand?” he asked

Maria held up her right while Bauer held up his left so Rey go out of the way as the technicians slotted themselves between the two chairs. Taketemi, it seemed, was right-handed as well. None of her crew even flinched at the pain of the chip entering their bodies.

A scanner was waved over their hands and their information registered. Small pads were handed over to the three of them and they were ushered out. Grulda Vin was waiting for her in the hanger by her ship. Rey hadn’t expected to see him again, but he stood alone as he gazed at the area on the side that was now emblazoned with the name, “USS Pathfinder”.

She gestured for the others to go on ahead, but they lingered on the ramp, watching her.

“Think about my offer,” Vin said as he turned to face her.

Rey nodded. “I will, but as I said. A lot can change in ten years, even for people who will live as long as us.”

He tilted his head and added. “Know that my offer remains open indefinitely, and if you need anything else, think of me first.”

She nodded again. “Alright. Thank you,” she said and watched as he faced his palms towards her. She waited a beat and he seemed to be waiting for her to respond.

She licked her lips before mimicking his gesture, which seemed to satisfy him.

“Good journey,” he said before turning and walking away.

Rey turned back to her crew and walked up the ramp as the hangar doors began to slide open.

“What offer?” Dr. Taketemi asked as she walked past them. 

_ Well the translation nanites were definitely working, _ she thought.

“It’s nothing,” she said with a sigh. “He’s looking for an art teacher.”

“Art? That’s it?” Bauer asked incredulously. “Seemed more serious than that.”

She didn’t meet his eyes as she made her way to the cockpit. “They take their art very seriously.”

Bauer followed her to the cockpit while Marina and Taketemi strapped in in the common area.

The other pilot watched her movements as she took the ship off planet. He was thinking of something serious, something that had stayed with him his entire life.

“Whatever you want to ask, ask it,” she said into the silence.

“Will this really keep me from getting sick?”

Rey set a course for Coruscant and pulled the ship into hyperspace before turning back to look at the man. “The spectrum nanites prevent illness of all types.When they are introduced, they not only destroy harmful cells but they also begin rewriting imperfections in your genetic code . . . I’ve been told that the more it hurts, the more the nanites had to do to repair damage.”

Arik flinched before replying. “My father . . . he died of a degenerative disease.”

Rey gave him a long look before sighing. “If you had it, you don’t anymore. And . . . your children won’t inherit it from you.”

The look Arik shot her said she’d hit the nail on the head. This man had never let himself become close to anyone, never wanted to risk raising a child who would watch him die, or know that he could be inflicting his disease on his own progeny. The nanites . . . they changed everything for him.

She didn’t say anything more on the subject, though. 

Rey got up after unbuckling herself. “We’ll be at Coruscant in half a day. I’m going to go get a shower and catch a nap.”

Arik nodded absently, his eyes and thoughts far from her as she left him there.

* * *

As the  _ Pathfinder _ landed, blue light shot up from the partitions in the duracrete and Bauer turned to her. “What the hell is that?”

Rey wasn’t worried. She’d seen this enough while traveling with Kord. “Security fencing. It keeps all organics without specific ID codes out of the space.”

He blinked and looked out the viewport again. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” she said as she got up. He followed her out to the hatch where Marina and Taketemi met her. They all went through the airlock without pause and as the ramp lowered, she turned to face all of them.

“Alright. We’re not in the Delphidian Cluster anymore and you guys aren’t sitting back and waiting on the ship. This is  _ Coruscant, _ one of the most heavily populated planets in the galaxy . . . and one of the most stringently protected. There are more soldiers here than even on Corellia. So when we get out there,  _ don’t stare.” _

Taketemi raised a brow. “At what?” he asked suspiciously.

She thought a second before replying. “At  _ any of it. _ If they even get a whiff of suspicion from us, they can and will arrest us.”

“On what grounds?” Arik asked.

Rey shook her head. “They don’t need grounds. There is a war going on and the enemy is all about subterfuge rather than a full scale war. The imperials aren’t taking any chances.”

She pulled on her coat just as the ramp hit the duracrete and she walked out, her crew trailing along behind her. Two stormtroopers stepped through the fencing and approached them. Rey held out her hand for their scanners to register and the others followed her lead silently.

Rey wasn’t ashamed to admit that she held her breath briefly as the scanners made no noise or indication of an issue. The docking authorities didn’t seem concerned either as they keyed the fencing to their chip identifications.

“Purpose of your visit?” the stormtrooper asked boredly.

“We’re here to have some repairs done to this ship, and possibly purchase a new one,” she said honestly.

The ‘trooper nodded, noting down her answer before looking back up at her. “This freighter is not approved for civilian airspace flight without special permission. If you decide to commence with your repairs, return here with your mechanic’s imperial licence and we’ll provide a flight path for you to bring your ship to the registered location.”

Rey nodded and the ‘trooper moved off.

“What repairs?” Bauer asked as they walked through the massive intergalactic docking station. He was the only one paying her any mind as Taketemi and Patel were both looking around wide-eyed.

“If I can get some kind of adapter made for our tech, we won’t need those giant fucking batteries anymore,” she said.

He shot her an incredulous look. “We aren’t waiting around here for you to make cosmetic repairs to your ship . . . captain.”

She snorted at the name. “You really want to spend another week cooped up in that soup can with most of the space taken up my those car-sized batteries?”

“Good soldiers do what they gotta do,” he said.

“I’m no soldier,” she said as her eyes found a projection of the holonet news. She paused, looking up at it.

“The Supreme Ruler’s whereabouts are still being kept classified, though speculation has run rampant that he is once more looking for the light exemplar. Ruler Kylo Ren has not been seen in public in fourteen days, but we will continue to monitor the situation.”

Bauer looked at her. “Is that why you’re stalling?” he asked. “Because he’s back on Earth?” The man was clearly suspicious of her, not that she’d helped the situation any with her evasion of their questions during the trip.

“How did you know he went back?” Taketemi asked.

Rey felt herself internally cringe at their continued questioning. “There was a holonet announcement playing back in Maz’s bar. That’s how I knew.” Her answer, it seemed, was acceptable as they nodded. “But he should have been back by now,” she added quietly.

Marina finally spoke up. “Does that mean he’s still there?”

Rey shook her head. “I don’t know. But I do know that the trip there and back plus the time it would take to gather up the light exemplar . . . he should have returned two days ago.”

“What if something’s happened?” Marina asked. “What if the planet is being attacked?”

Rey bit her lip. “I . . . I don’t know.”

She didn’t think he would attack the planet, but if Hunt or any of the others pissed him off, who know what would happen.

She turned back to them. “Let’s make contact with the mechanic and get the second ship and get back to Earth.”

They nodded and she guided them away from the dock and towards the air-rail. She and the others waved their chips over the console and four individual seats slotted in before them. As she nudged the others to sit down, the modular walls and ceiling came around the group, sealing them inside. Rey entered in their destination and the private box-car was off. The three hundred and sixty degree duraplast panorama provided a beautiful view of the city as the cabin glided along the air-rails. Marina had her phone out, much as Rey had in the past and she was snapping pictures left and right. 

The shop wasn’t far from their stop, but as they approached, she halted in her steps. No light or sound escaped the building and there was a holo-lock on the door. 

“Place looks closed,” Taketemi said.

Rey bit her lip. “Something’s wrong," she said and walked up to the lock. She pressed the button and a small holovid began playing.

“These premises have been closed due to Imperial Law. Violators will be prosecuted.” 

And that was it. 

“What the hell happened?” she asked rhetorically, looking the place over once more. It wasn’t only that the building was deserted, it was that when she turned around, people who were simply walking down the street actually walked  _ around _ the entrance, as though even being in proximity would be a mistake. They were all giving Rey and her crew odd looks as well, and she read suspicion and fear in their thoughts.

“They were spies.”

Marina whirled around as the boy who had seemingly just appeared behind her spoke. She jumped back and bumped into Rey at the sight of the daveronian child. His red skin and rather pronounced horns were perhaps a bit off-putting, she’d allow. Rey pushed Dr. Patel aside and crouched down to the boy’s level.

“Were they now?” she asked.

The boy smiled. “For a credit, I’ll tell you all about it.”

Judging by the way the child was dressed, he wasn’t hard up for money but she dug the credit out of her pocket anyway and tossed it to him.

He hastily shoved the wafer into his shirt before speaking. “General Hux came here himself and the guy who ran the place, Wexley, he admitted to working for the Resistance in front of everyone. He and all his guys were carried off. Ain’t seen’em since.”

“Not a big fan of the Resistance?” Bauer asked and the boy at once, backed away, casting suspicious glances in their direction.

Rey hurried to diffuse the situation. “Don’t mind him,” she said. “His planet is very far removed from the war. We don’t know much about the Resistance. Anything you could tell us would be helpful,” she added, pulling out another credit.

The boy looked from the credit to her to Bauer. She could tell that he wanted to credit badly, but he also knew he could turn a few extra credits at least turning in Resistance spies.

He took the credit from her hand. “The Resistance supports the Old Republic. But everyone knows that the Republic was useless. Too many people fighting and scheming to get anything done and all the while, the mid and outer rim planets suffered.”

“And the empire is better?” Taketemi asked with a raised brow.

The boy nodded. “Supreme Ruler brought peace to the empire and made the spectrum injection a right of citizenship. Before, it was reserved for the wealthy so they lived a long time while generations of the lower classes lived and died.”

Bauer put his hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him “Did you know all this?” he asked.

Rey shook her head. “Not all of it. I’m more up to date on current events rather than history.”

She turned back and predictably, the boy was gone. Her jaw tightened. “We need to leave,” she said, walking quickly back to the air-rail station.

They hurried to follow her, stepping onto the boxcar with her.

“What’s rush?” Dr. Patel asked as the air-rail took off.

“That kid is going to report us,” she said.

“What?” Bauer asked. “What for?”

“Suspected resistance sympathies or at perhaps even ties.”

Marina seemed the most taken aback. “It’s illegal to even talk about the Resistance?”

Rey shook her head. “It’s not illegal, but they would question us—put us _and_ _our backgrounds_ under a microscope. I don’t know if our credentials would hold up under that kind of scrutiny.”

The cabin was quiet for a few seconds before Dr. Taketemi spoke. “How does a planet join the empire?”

She looked at the man sharply. “I thought Earth wished to remain independent.”

He raised a brow. “It does, but we should have as much information as possible so our leaders can make an informed decision. These injections . . . even I can tell they are expensive and heavily regulated. How will Earth afford to get them for everyone? And if they can’t, how do we decide who gets to live and who dies early?”

Rey sighed. “I don’t know. It’s not like they just give out pamphlets with that kind of information. I know it’s not easy, and there’s a process involved to prepare the planet. Money, education, healthcare . . . these things all need to standardized planet-wide with Corellian law before annexation is allowed.”

Marina shook her head, leaning back in her seat. “And when was the last time everyone agreed on anything?”

The air-rail car came to a stop at their destination and they all got out. Their steps were brisk but not hurried. Rey waved her hand over the security fencing and it registered her ID. She paid the fee and the fencing came down. 

As they waited for the ramp to lower she spoke again. “I need to make one more stop before we leave,” she said

Bauer was the first to respond. “I thought we needed to get the hell out of here.”

“We do,” she said. “But something isn’t right. Gilas told me about Wexley. He’s the reason I went to that shop and now he and those mechanics are gone.”

“I thought you said he went on a vacation,” Marina asked as they all boarded the ship.

“Gilas doesn’t take vacations,” she said as she walked through the ship towards the cockpit. Bauer hurried after her and strapped himself in beside her.

“Sorry, no ship, this trip,” she said.

He shrugged. “Next time.”

Rey nodded. “Yeah, next time.”

Rey brought the ship out of the hangar and up into space. The gallery was clear on the other side of the planet and she plotted her destination with the computer. It took only minutes to circle the planet and bring the ship back down towards the surface.

“That doesn’t look like one of those public docking stations.”

Rey nodded. “It’s not. This is a private deck reserved for this building. My clearance should still hold.”

The ship was set down, and it stood out like a sore thumb amongst the other luxury yacht vessels already there. Batu and Star class ships lined the breezeway and already Rey could see a shiny droid wheeling itself out of the building towards her ship.

She sighed and walked back towards the cargo area.

“So what exactly are we doing here?” the other pilot asked, following her.

Rey pulled a sealed crate down from a storage shelf and opened it up. She began pulling out canvases that she’d had vacuum sealed, handed a few of them off to Bauer.

“Apparently, Gilas’s nephew is here. It’s possible he knows something,” she said pulling out the last of the seven paintings. By now, Dr. Taketemi and Marina had joined them and stood in the doorway.

“Is that the only reason?” Taketemi asked.

She rolled her eyes. “This is how I made my living before going back to Earth. I’m not going in there and start grilling the guy. I’m just an artist dropping off her wares. Besides, if this whole ship captain ferrying people back and forth thing doesn’t work, I need to have a fallback.”

Arik looked as though he couldn’t tell if she was joking or not, and truthfully, Rey didn’t know either. Taketemi and Bauer took two each and she another two with Marina carrying the last one. 

The ramp of the ship came down and sure enough a fidgety protocol droid was waiting for them, making disapproving noises and acting as though the planet was on fire.

“My lady, this is not a public parking area!” it said as she approached. “You must remove your . . .  _ vehicle _ at once!”

“Give me your cred pad,” she said.

“I can assure you, no one of your  _ stature _ would be on the approv—”

“I said give me the goddamn cred pad, you rolling trashcan!”

The droid wheeled back slightly. “Well I never! There is no need for vulgarity. Had you simply asked—”

“For the third time,” she said. “Cred pad!”

The droid all but shoved it towards her and she set down one of the paintings long enough to wave her chip over it. Sure enough the thing beeped its approval and she raised a brow. Predictably the droid acted as though nothing untoward had happened.

“Welcome to the Coruscant Lux Galleria,” it said, wheeling back and out of her way.

Rey sighed. “Thanks,” she said, picking up the painting again and walking away.

“What was that about?” Marina asked as they entered the lift. 

Rey shook her head. “Protocol droids love nothing more than the sound of their own voices. They will not shut up unless you make them shut up,” she said.

She heard Bauer lean in towards Taketemi. “That’s how Judgement Day starts,” he whispered and the other man chuckled.

The day a protocol droid came after her, guns blazing, would be the day pigs flew.

They rode the lift up to the ninety-second floor and walked down the hallway. Rey had never actually been here before, but she’d seen memories of this place in Gilas’s mind often enough that she knew exactly where to go. It was all pale birch-like wood and exotic potted greenery. The gallery had floor to ceiling windows and the wall separating it from the hall was all glass as well so the area was quite bright. There were a few people inside examining various works and she noticed there weren’t any of hers on the walls.

Her head tilted in curiosity but she walked through the gallery back into the office area. Rey knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before it cracked opened to reveal a young chagrian male with skin of turquoise. His horns were not quite full size yet but he had the bearing of a businessman.

“We don’t take walk-ins,” he said and went to shut the door but she held out a hand and stopped him.

“I worked with Gilas through the commune,” she said

He looked her up and down suspiciously. “I know everyone at the commune and I’ve never seen you—”

“I left a couple of months ago,” Rey added.

His eyes narrowed. “The only person who le—You’re the Artist?”

She nodded and the door swung open widely. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Come in come in!”

Rey sighed and the four of them stepped into the office. It was a tight squeeze, especially with the canvases.

“You’ve brought us some new works? Splendid!”

She set the canvases against the wall, hitting the pressure release on the first one so she could pull it out of the plastic protector. They hadn’t been her idea, but Mack’s. He’s suggested that the extra rigidity of the vacuum seal would help further protect the art during transit.

The chagrian, Quilin, she remembered, was going over the painting with a small magnifying glass, his gloved hands moving softly over the paint.

“This is a different paint that before,” he said.

She nodded. “It’s oil-based rather than synthetic. It will last a lot longer because it was made for this type of application.”

“Will you be painting with this type of paint from now on?”

She pursed her lips but nodded. “Probably, yeah.”

He nodded absently. “That will make your earlier works more exclusive and drive the price up a bit . . . not that it matters.”

Rey tilted her head. “What does that mean?”

He raised a hairless brow. “Someone’s been buying up your works . . . especially your earlier pieces with the Force-users.”

Rey felt the shift in the room as her crew heard the term and she quickly changed the subject. “I noticed that there weren’t any of my paintings out in the gallery. I thought perhaps they weren’t popular anymore.”

Quilin picked up the painting and slotted it into a thin shelf off to the side before reaching for the next one. “On the contrary, it got out that you’d gone back to your planet and that examples of your work might never surface again. Everything from your last series sold in only a few days. Your credit account should reflect the sales. Is there a problem?”

Rey thought back. There had been a digit or two more than she’d expected when she’d glanced over her balance at Maz’s bar. “Actually, I haven’t really checked it since I’ve been back. I’ll check on that as soon as I leave here. I just wanted to drop these by since I was passing by Coruscant.”

“Excellent. I have a few collectors who would be interested in acquiring more of your work,” he said.

She nodded. “How is your uncle?”

Quilin didn’t answer her immediately, and Rey only had to skim the surface of his thoughts to pick up on the truth.

“He’s fine. Taking a vacation. Might be permanent,” Quilin said with a swallow.

She took a step closer. “Gilas isn’t really your uncle, is he?”

The chagrian’s eyes widened. “Of course he—”

“Your skin is the wrong color,” she said, interrupting.

Quilin’s mouth snapped shut and he stared at her before replying. “Wouldn’t have thought a human would notice. Most don’t.”

“Gilas wasn’t terribly chatty about his family, but he was very proud of his heritage.”

The turquoise man shrugged. “Yes, the aristocrats usually are. My skin may not be as blue as theirs but I wasn’t given this task for my looks.”

“What happened to Gilas?” she asked.

“He finally bit off more than he could chew with his little grudge,” Quilin said with a derisive shake of his head.

“Grudge?” she asked, and she placed a subtle press on the man’s mind. Quilin had witnessed the Gilas’s family’s arguments—the blow-ups they’d had with one another over Gilas’s refusal to marry after . . .

Rey pressed even harder. He  _ needed _ to tell her.

Quilin’s eyes glazed over slightly as he swallowed again. “He’s had it out for the empire for more than two centuries. His lover was murdered by an imperial officer.”

_ Lover?  _ She thought. Gilas had never mentioned any kind of romantic relationship _ Two hundred years _ . . . The number was important. She’d heard Gilas mention it. 

“The figurine sculpture?” she asked, remembering the journey to Takodana and the story of why the commune was so secretive.

Quilin nodded. “The very same. Gilas reported the officer’s stalking of the sculptor, but this was the very beginning of the empire. They were still in the midst of solidifying the governing structure and the planet that the commune was on at the time was not imperial so they couldn’t do anything about it.”

Rey blinked a few times, digesting the words. This . . . how had she missed this? She’d seen the sorrow on Gilas’s face back in the beginning, but she had never thought that his reasoning would be so personal.

“The officer had a high rank,” Quilin added. “And used his connections to continue harassing the sculptor until there was a confrontation.”

“And the officer killed the sculptor and then himself,” she finished turning away. She released the chagrian from her hold and he let out a strange noise of confusion.

“Rey, what’s happening?” Marina asked.

“If Gilas was a spy—”

“I never said he was a spy!” Quilin said hastily as he interrupted her words.

She shot him a hard look. “You didn’t have to. I’m not an idiot,” she said with a grimace before shaking her head. “Is he dead?”

The man didn’t seem terribly happy that she’d gotten so much out of him, but he answered her anyway. “Not last I heard. He’s been conscripted.”

“Conscripted?” Tatetemi echoed.

She turned back to him. “That’s what the empire does when you break the law. Around half of all criminals prosecuted under Corellian Law are forced into service, usually military.”

“They do that out here?” Marina looked appalled.

“Makes sense," Dr. Taketemi added. “They’re fighting against this Resistance. It’s a good way to have a steady supply of soldiers.”

Quilin didn’t seem impressed. “If that’s all, I do have work to do, not in the least of which is cataloguing these paintings and contacting prospective clients. I expect your pieces won’t be here long.” he pulled out a pad and typed a few things in. “Thumb here.”

She recognized the commission form and pressed her thumb into the scanner. 

He confirmed that the information was all correct before looking back up at her. “Next time, comm me before coming into the gallery. I have important people who come through here.”

She’d have shot him the finger if she’d thought he would understand. As it was she waved him off as they left. 

“I’m guessing that wasn’t the outcome you were looking for,” Arik said as they walked out of the fancy building and back onto the deck.

“Gilas was a spy and so was Wexley,” she said, her eyes narrowed as she waved her hand over the scanner of their ship. “It could just be a coincidence. Gilas knew the mechanic through the Resistance and he offered up the suggestion as an offhanded comment.”

“But you don’t think so.”

Rey shook her head. “I don’t know, but Gilas knew about the exemplar. He knew that Kylo Ren came to Earth to find her.”

The others shared looks as they processed that bit of information. 

Marina reached out and tugged on her arm. “Rey. What you’re thinking of . . . it might not be true,” she said.

Rey tugged her arm free, her face shadowed. “Or it might be,” she said quietly before turning away from them and walking to the cockpit. She’d known the Resistance was responsible for their deaths, but she hadn’t known how they found her planet. Rey’s hand trembled slightly as she hit the power switch. Arik normally followed and helped her with the controls but as she lifted the ship from the planet and set a course for Earth, she realized that he wasn’t there.

She was alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, I know this chapter doesn't seem to have as much going on with the progression of Rey and Kylo's relationship, but there are other things, characters, and plot points that appear here that will be the basis of other scenes later. 
> 
> And the palm thing. I’m gonna be straight up honest with you guys. It totally came out of nowhere because I literally thought it up only a couple of weeks ago. It’s something I really wish I could go back and add throughout the story, but alas, we’re sort of past that point. 
> 
> Suffice is to say, what’s currently being shown now is basically a greeting or acknowledgement of one Force-user to another. And just in case I’m not doing a good job of explaining in fic, here is exactly what the gesture looks like.
> 
> 1\. Stand or sit very straight with your arms straight down your sides and parallel with your body.
> 
> 2\. Bend your arms at the elbow until your forearms are perpendicular with your body.
> 
> 3\. Open your hands, palms up and angle your wrist so that your palms face slightly forward and toward a person who is in front of you.
> 
>   
>    
>    
> 
> 
> This is the closest pic I could find, though it's not exactly right. I don’t want the gesture to be confused with someone holding their hands up in a surrendering motion. I’m sort of mentally pretending that Rey wouldn’t have had much occasion to come into contact with this gesture before and that that’s why it’s only now being mentioned.
> 
> Technically, the only Force-users she would have had occasion to interact with were Kylo, Maz, and Caserian. Kylo wouldn’t have done it on their first meeting as he had other things on his mind besides formal greetings, Caserian wouldn’t have done it because at first he did not see her has worthy of that greeting, not to mention his sheer apathy at that point of his life. And let’s all pretend that Maz has sort of been doing it, but Rey didn’t really notice, nor did she return the gesture so therefore, Maz stopped doing it too as their relationship advanced.  
> Now that she’s running around with a lightsaber and freely using her power, she is allowing herself to be identified as a Force-user and therefore more people will do the gesture, even though she still doesn’t exactly know what it means.
> 
> There is another version of the gesture that will be shown later, as used by non-force users in a different context, but we’ll get into that when the chapter comes.


	33. Chapter 33

When the _Pathfinder_ dropped out of hyperspace and Earth appeared before them, it wasn’t relief the Rey felt but dread.

“Holy shit!” Bauer cursed as he leaned over the console to get a better look. “They’re really still here.”

Rey didn’t allow her fist to tremble as she maneuvered the ship away from the star destroyers that circled the planet. She didn’t know how many there were total but there was once close by and another she could vaguely see in the distance. The scanners were blipping wildly and she looked down to gauge the number of ships.

“There’s at least a half dozen ships within weapons range,” she said quickly.

“Yeah,” Arik tonelessly. “Like that one.”

She looked up from her readout and followed his line of sight. Sweat began to bead on her forehead, and she struggled to keep her breathing under control and manage the feelings of panic that shivered up her spine. The psychologist had told her to practice breathing exercises—to find the happy moment in her mind to calm her panic.

_Purple flowers . . . golden sunlight. 10, 9, 8 . . ._

“Is it . . . moving towards us?”

Rey shook herself from her mental exercises and looked at the scanner. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “It’s headed for us.”

Bauer’s jaw was hanging open and Rey understood the feeling. “Is that . . ?” he asked

She nodded. “Yeah. That Kylo Ren’s command ship, the _Defender.”_

 _The jewel of the Imperial Fleet,_ she remembered. The last time she’d seen it, she’d been screaming her head off as she hurdled down through the atmosphere of Ord Canfre. The empire was here. _He_ was here.

“I’ve never . . .” he began before trailing off. The ship was a sight as it moved through space. It glided slowly towards them, its massive grey hull beginning to overtake their view of the planet.

“What’s happening,” Dr. Patel said from behind them. “Is the planet under attack?”

Not that Rey could see from the scanners. Most of the ships seemed to be keeping their distance from the planet but they were there all the same. Marina and Taketemi crowded in between she and Arik, looking at the command ship with interest.

“It doesn’t look like they’re doing anything. Should we jump back to hyperspace?” Taketemi asked.

“I don’t know," she said before her console lit up and alarms started blaring and horror filled her. She began frantically hitting buttons and switches trying to figure out what was happening. The ship’s controls were unresponsive and the engines were shutting down.

“What’s going on?” Bauer asked, looking at the readouts and shaking his head in confusion.

Rey shook her head. “The ship’s systems aren’t responding. It’s some kind of jamming signal.”

Bauer pointed to the scanners. “Then why are _we_ moving towards the ship?”

Rey looked over it. “It’s pulling us in!” she said, panic lacing her tone, but the fear she felt from the very idea of being on that ship again paled in comparison to the next set of alarms that sounded.

“What is that?” Marina asked.

“They’ve locked their ventrel cannons on us,” she said quietly with a hard swallow.

Everyone was silent then and no one moved as the alarms continued to blare.

“Can’t we jump to hyperspace?” Marina asked and Rey was shaking her head.

“I’m trying,” she said. “I’ve never seen this before!”

Whatever Marina was about to say in response was cut off when another noise joined the fray. “Unidentified vessel. The is the Imperial Command Ship, _Defender_. State your designation or be destroyed.”

Rey froze for half a second as she looked down at the comm unit, before survival kicked in. “Microphone!” she said and Bauer was already fumbling with the junction unit and plugging it into the system.

He all but threw it at her and she caught it, without even looking up from her comm readouts. “This is the _USS Pathfinder,”_ she said after pulling the thing over her head. “We’re returning from an exploratory mission on behalf of the United Nations of Earth.”

The comm was silent and everyone on board held their breath. It was perhaps the longest moment of Rey’s life and she shrank away as _his_ presence washed over her, it brushed against her skin and sought contact with her mind.

_No!_

It pulled away from her and she took a deep breath. He knew she was there, he sensed her connection with the Force. The only question now was, what did that mean for her? The alarms suddenly went silent as they were released from the tractor beam and the weapons were powered down.

“Identification verified. You have been cleared to dock at Bolling Air Force Base.”

“Acknowledged," she said and sat back, sighing in relief before turning to Bauer. “Where the hell is Bolling Air Force Base?”

Arik raised a brow. “More importantly, why is an _imperial ship_ telling _us_ where to land?” he asked. Rey didn’t have an answer for him.

“I really have a bad feeling about this," Marina added from behind them.

Rey shared the sentiment. “Yeah. You two go get belted in for the landing.”

The two doctors left and Bauer pulled his phone out. “Bolling is the base outside D.C.” he said.

“You’re gonna need to navigate for me,” Rey murmured as she flew the ship partially around the planet and headed in the general direction of U.S. capital. In the meantime, Bauer got ahold of ground control.

“Bolling, this is _Pathfinder._ We are inbound,” he said into the microphone.

“Acknowledged _Pathfinder._ You are cleared for landing in Field Six.”

Rey looked over at Arik. “You want to do it?” she asked.

He snorted and took the controls. Rey had to keep her hands on the yoke to keep the ship from going into standby mode, but Arik was the one controlling the landing and he pulled it off with perfect precision. It was impossible to miss the gathering crowds of people beyond the fences. There weren’t many yet, but already she could see the tell-tale white vans of news crews making their way down the streets surrounding the base.

When the ship was firmly on the ground, Bauer released the controls and joined her in looking out the viewport towards the gathered crowds. “They don’t have any idea what’s out there,” he said quietly.

She turned and looked at him . . . really looked at him. Arik Bauer with his coarse ginger hair and mild freckles. The first man from Earth to receive the spectrum injection. He would live for hundreds of years to come.

“Are you scared?” she asked.

He looked down, a strange smile on his face. “How can I be scared? Everything is going to change . . . and I’m going to get to see it.”

“Change isn’t always a good thing.”

“Perhaps not, but it’s inevitable,” he said before meeting her eyes. “You though . . . you’re terrified.”

She didn’t deny it. “Change hasn’t always been good to me. When things change . . . I’m the one left holding the bag,” she said before letting out a chuckled. “Honestly, I could do with a break for change.”

“It won’t always be like this,” he said. “When your contract is over, you can leave and find a nice quiet spread somewhere.”

Rey thought of Grulda Vin’s offer to teach in the Delphidian Cluster. Perhaps Caserian would go with her and they could just teach. She smiled at the thought, and looked back up as Bauer reached over and patted her shoulded a bit awkwardly.

“You’ll get there—to that place you’re imagining.”

He nodded one more time at her before getting up and leaving the cockpit. Rey sat in the silence for a moment before reaching towards her belt and pulling her lightsaber free. Could she really teach other people to use the Force? Rey wasn't exactly a master herself, but what Grulda Vin was asking . . . perhaps it wasn’t so far out of her grasp.  

“Maybe,” she said as she ran her fingers over the smooth metal. “Maybe, I’ll teach others.”

She reholstered the weapon just as Taketemi stuck his head in. “Mr. Bauer and I are headed out. We’ll meet you in decontamination.”

Rey gave him a smile and a wave as she programmed the ship to begin running diagnostics. “See you inside,” she said.

He walked off, but another lighter set of steps came to a stop just behind her.

“I thought you’d be the first one off this ship,” Rey said as she finished her final checks and turned around.

Marina was watching her with a raised brow. “You’re taking this better than I thought you would,” she said and Rey sighed.

Was she not allowed to just forget about her problems? She got up and walked past Dr. Patel towards the common area and grabbed her bag. Marina followed her, of course, and Rey resisted the urge to roll her eyes like a child.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said. “I’ve talked it to death. He’s here. So what?”

Marina grabbed her arm. “Yeah, Rey. _He’s here._ We both know that if the the light exemplar were here, he wouldn’t have waited around for _weeks.”_

Rey shook off the other woman as she turned around. “Why can’t you guys just let it go?” she asked heatedly. “If I was the exemplar, the _Defender_ would have just captured us when we got here. He’s not above using force to get what he wants so why wouldn’t he have just taken me then?”

Marina shook her head. “I don’t know. But you being the light exemplar is the only thing that makes sense. You used the For—”

Rey’s eyes narrowed, and the darkness that had crept up on her lashed out. Marina’s vocal cord seized under her power. The other woman’s eyes widened in shock as Rey stepped forward. The doctor was unable to move as Rey leaned in until her lips nearly brushed against the doctor’s ear.

“Do not say anymore,” she breathed softly. “There are devices here—ones that are listening. Nod that you understand.” Rey eased up enough to allow Marina to incline her head and she released the doctor, stepping back.

Dr. Patel blinked, her expression one of resigned disappointment, but not fear. In that moment, Rey was unsure whether or not she’d ever been as grateful for anything in her life. Marina _knew_ and she was _still there._

“You and I are gonna talk later,” the doctor said

Rey looked away, her words coming out hurried and stumbling. “Alright. Let’s um . . . Let’s get together later. My house,” she said.

Dr. Patel nodded before walking past her and out of the ship. Rey looked around. The place was still stuffed with those god awful batteries and yet suddenly it felt so empty. She sighed one more time and contemplated going to the cockpit and getting the hell out of here. She could try to jump to hyperspace before the destroyers got ahold of her ship. She could leave, go to the Delphidian Cluster now. It’s not like Vin would advertise her presence there.

But Caserian was still here on Earth, Kord was still under another Knight’s power, and she couldn’t abandon Poe again.

 _Fucking Kylo Ren,_ she thought in disgust, squarely blaming him for all of her problems and letting the familiar string of violent mental images run through her head. The tire iron was still the star of most of them.

Rey grabbed her bag again and exited the ship. There were hazmat guys all over the place, but most of them didn’t seem too worried about her as they directed her to decontamination. The press was restricted to staying behind the fence, but they all snapped photos of her as she was ushered into the building. None of the others were around, but she was given a familiar set of plain clothing after being thoroughly scrubbed down and told to wait in a large sterile room.

She reached out towards the others. They were having additional blood tests done but would be joining her soon. Rey would admit to not paying much attention to her immediate surroundings. She was in a bit of trance, letting the Force show her the goings on around her . . . which was why when Mack entered the room, she jumped in surprise.

She blinked stupidly up at him as he approached her.

 _How . . ?_ His mind was a void.

Rey couldn’t sense him, and a shiver ran up her spine as the familiarity of a _Knight’s_ power swept over her. Rey wanted to ask how he’d done it. His connection was rudimentary at best—or it had been. But she couldn’t. Voicing her doubts and fears would expose her own secrets and she wasn’t ready for that—not yet.

Mack either didn’t notice her discomfort or he chose to ignore it. Rey wasn’t sure which option she disliked more. He smiled at her none the less and sat down opposite her, his suit crinkling with the movement.

“You’ll only be in here a few hours, Rey,” he said and then the room was silent again. Something had changed with him and she could tell that he knew that _she knew._ But there was more, the questions in his eyes as he watched her were there for anyone to see and she shook her head.

“I know you want to ask,” she said, leaning back and folding her arms.

He picked up on the defensive gesture and leaned back a bit as well, distancing himself from her. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

As much as she wanted to answer, ‘Like shit,’ Rey felt that probably wasn’t the most diplomatic answer she could give. It seemed all anyone was going to be talking about what how she was doing with his royal psychoness hanging around.

Her lips tightened. “I’m not happy—obviously. What exactly is going on? How long has he been here?”

“A few weeks and . . . It’s complicated,” he said.

That was not the answer she was looking for. She wanted things to be simple for once! “What’s complicated?” she asked, before lowering her voice guiltily. “Didn’t you round up the all of the girls again?”

Mack shook his head. “He hasn’t asked us to do that.”

_No no no no . . ._

It felt as though the life were draining out of her as her worst fears were materializing before her. “Asked? He’s asking this time?

“Circumstances have changed,” Mack said carefully.

She was nearly afraid to ask. “Into what?”

“Annexation.”

Of all the things he could have said, that was the last word she expected. There was no reason for the empire to have any interest in Earth. Her home planet was primitive, wasteful, and so far afield from the rest of the Imperial territory that it would be very costly to guard it. Her eyes narrowed. If Kylo Ren was interested in Earth, then there was a reason. He wasn’t sentimental enough to annex the planet of the exemplar outright—the first time he came proved that—but now he saw value here. He saw something worth protecting.

“Why?” she asked. “That was never even on the table.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “It was never on the table before because we could not be sure of the empire’s intentions.”

“But now you are?” she asked, her head tilting in confusion.

His lips thinned. “Again, it’s complicated. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I just know it’s being discussed.”

Rey would bet her left foot that Mack knew more than that, but with his mind closed to her, she would need to use more . . . force to take the information from him. She was about to say something in response but the door opened and her three crew members walked in. Mack got up but he only gestured for them to all sit down.

“You will all be debriefed once we’ve confirmed the absence of pathogens,” he said, looking them all over. “I’m just here to do a few preliminary questions.

Arik was mildly irritated which was fairly normal for him and Dr. Taketemi just seemed tired. _Space hadn’t agreed with him,_ she thought. Marina had an earbud in one ear and was was looking over a tablet, watching something of obvious interest.

Bauer was the first to speak. “Why are we at Bolling? We were based out of Griffiss. And why was that imperial ship giving _us_ orders?”

Mack nodded his understanding at the pilot’s question. “They were following requests from the UN. We were informed that there were other hyperdrive signatures that _didn’t_ belong to you.”

“Others?” Marina asked, her hand coming up to squeeze Rey’s arm.

It was exactly what she’d feared. But perhaps it wasn’t Resistance. They didn’t know about Caserian. Perhaps it was him—perhaps the empire was lying in order to scare Earth into acquiescence, perhaps the Resistance still hadn’t found her home. There were too many goddamn variables. She couldn’t be sure of anything and with Mack’s mind closed to her, she could not even be sure of him anymore.

Rey let her head fall into her hands and the room was silent until the liaison spoke again. “You know something,” he said, watching her intently.

Rey swallowed past the bile in her throat, and looked towards the others. Taketemi nodded to her and she let out a long breath before speaking. “After we got the injections, we went to Coruscant as planned to get another ship, but the shop was closed and the mechanics had all been arrested.”

Mack was furiously scribbling down a few notes, though no doubt everything was being recorded anyway. “Arrested,” he asked, his fingers pausing over the pad. “For what?”

She licked her dry lips and they burned a bit at the edges, bitten and arid as they were. “They were Resistance,” she said quietly.

Mack’s gaze was on her and it almost felt as though _he_ were mentally poking at _her._ “Resistance . . . The terrorists?”

Rey nodded and racked her brain for what little she knew of the Resistance. “They advocate democracy, but as the people in the empire have grown more . . . complacent with the autocracy of the Corellian government . . . The Resistance has become desperate and they’ve started doing . . . terrible things.”

Mack seemed unsure of her words—unsure of the idea of a rebellion that supported democracy being potentially their _enemy._ He turned to the others. “Is this true?”

They nodded and Dr. Taketemi, surprisingly was the one who spoke up. “The Resistance isn’t popular, at least not on Coruscant. Apparently back when there was free trade and the galaxy had a senate, the spectrum injection was not a right and only the very wealthy could afford it. After getting the translation nanites, I looked at the imperial database. Most of it is obviously written in favor of the empire, however there were several documented occurrences of interplanetary issues that predated the empire. A planet called Naboo was blockaded by the now defunct Trade Federation and seventy-three million people died of starvation while the legality of the blockade was debated by the politicians.”

Mack blinked and Rey wished she knew what he was thinking as he wrote that down on his pad. “So imperial citizens have traded democracy for health,” he said thoughtfully.

Taketemi nodded. “The spectrum injections are heavily regulated by the empire because they’re exceedingly expensive to produce. The injections alone account for just under twelve percent of the entire Corellian Empire’s yearly budget.”

Rey felt both her brows fly up. Well, now she knew what the botanist had been up to without any plants to look at. Mack pursed his lips a bit in thought as he wrote down the highlights of Taketemi’s information dump. When he’d finished he looked back up at the four of them.

“What happened after you found out about the mechanic?” he asked flatly and it took Rey a second to realize that he’d returned to the original line of questioning. She swallowed heavily. And here is where things could potentially get dicy.

The others said nothing so Rey spoke up. “I went to the gallery where they sell my art to talk to the man running it. He replaced my former boss Gilas. Gilas had . . .” Rey trailed off, unsure of herself and what she was about to reveal.

“What happened?” Mack asked, pressing her.

Her jaw clenched for a beat before she answered. “He was also arrested for ties to the Resistance.”

Mack was far too professional to allow his face to show anything at that revelation . . . or the implications of what it all meant. He wasn’t writing now . . . merely staring at her and she fought the urge to shrink away.

“Is that why you came back?” he asked at last.

Shame was eating her up inside even as she tried to answer. “Kylo Ren,” she began, stumbling over the name. “I found out he came back here while I was making contact on Takodana. I realized that he—he was here too long.”

“And the Resistance?” Mack asked and Rey could hear the faintest trace of a hiss in his voice. He was  . . . upset.

“I don’t know,” she said with a shake of her head. “I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not.”

“You don’t know if the Resistance knows the location of Earth.” His tone was flat but the accusation was a shrieking cry in her ears. If a hostile force knew the location of their planet, they would have little recourse if they were invaded. She hated lying to them. The Resistance knew of them, and now guilt ate at her for not speaking up sooner. But she couldn't explain how she knew . . .

“No,” she said again and silence reigned in the room as they all digested the implication. Finally Mack looked away from her and towards the others.

“Dr. Taketemi, you and Mr. Bauer will be reporting to the UN in two days. Dr. Patel, you will be returning to your duties with with the DOD. You’re all grounded until further notice.”

Arik shook his head hastily. “The agreement with the UN stated that our team would return to space. We have not procured another ship yet!”

Mack’s expression was unchanging. “Talks with the empire have been  . . . _delicate,_ and now with this . . .” he trailed off for a second before continuing. “Circumstances have changed. If a bunch of terrorists know our location, then we no longer have the protection of anonymity that we had assumed.”

“That has nothing to do with us leaving Earth,” Taketemi replied.

Mack snorted derisively at this. “Of course it does. The empire and those . . . _Knights_ know exactly what we’re doing. We can not risk antagonizing them by flippantly breaking imperial laws and then waving it under their noses.”

Taketemi shook his head. “If the empire is hanging around then they want something. They wouldn't— _Kylo Ren and General Hux_ wouldn’t be sitting here in the uncharted zone unless what they wanted was more important than everything else going on in the _galaxy._ So no—they won’t care about a couple of exploratory missions.”

A muscle jumped in Mack’s jaw as his gaze swung to Rey for the barest of seconds before moving back to Dr. Taketemi. “I see you’re catching up quickly,” he said softly.

Marina raised both brows as she turned her tablet around to show what she’d been looking at. Rey blinked as she caught a few seconds of grainy footage. It was dark but there was Mack, reaching out to shake Kylo Ren’s hand. His face was partially obscured but it was impossible to miss the shot of thick black hair and the sheer height of the Supreme Ruler.

“He landed on the White House lawn?” she asked turning back to look at Mack.

Mack cocked his head to the side. “Man likes to make a statement,” he said before nodding back at Taketemi. “Look, having met him, you’re right. They want something from us. They know about our platinum and they are bound and determined to get it. They’re playing nice for now, but the Supreme Ruler and . . . that general of his—their patience won’t last forever . . . It’s only for a few more weeks until we either say ‘no’ or commence with official negotiations back on Corellia.”

Rey nodded slowly. “So now what?”

Some of the tension seemed to drain out of Mack. He was watching her—more so than he usually did. “They will be receiving orders for now and you . . . you aren’t on active duty so you can go and do . . . whatever it is that ladies do, I suppose.”

She cast him a withering look even as Marina snorted beside her. “As much as I’d love to go shopping or get a manicure, I can’t exactly just walk down the street these days without being mobbed.”

Marina put a hand on her arm. “Keep painting. The ones you brought with you to Coruscant were lovely.”

Mack was still eyeing her but he nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard you’re really making a mark in the art world—or is it galaxy?”

Rey felt the expression on her face freeze and her heart skip a beat. She didn’t respond immediately but instead tilted her head and asked carefully. “And _where_ did you hear _that?”_ she asked quietly.

While she had talked about her art with Mack and during interviews, she never said anything about how popular her art really was. His mind was still shut to her. He never could have mastered even this simple skill without a teacher. She could force the issue—tear through his flimsy walls like tissue paper and leaving him a squirming writhing mass on the floor as she dug out his every secret.

He seemed to realize that he’d been caught out. “You saw that I was the first one . . . to speak with the Supreme Ruler when he arrived. He is very much aware of you and your art.”

Her eyes narrowed even as a single brow flew up. “Everyone out there just calls me the ‘Artist’. Like Prince or something. How did he know it was me?”

Mack shrugged. “I don’t think that he did until recently.”

She looked away from him and her eyes swept over to her crew. “Is my being here going to be a problem—for him . . . for our planet?” If he was offering annexation, Rey couldn’t be the reason he withdrew his support. If the Resistance was on their doorstep, she couldn’t let them be without defense.

Mack shook his head. “He’s apparently forgotten the incident and has moved on.”

Rey let out a small breath and nodded. Mack’s comm buzzed and he got up, moving toward the door. He paused a few feet away, speaking to someone and passing along some of the information that they’d provided.

Rey leaned back. “Why is everything so fucked up?” she asked.

Arik snorted. “Everyone says that everything changed the day you left, but honestly, that’s bullshit. The world was fucked long before mask man made his debut. If it wasn’t this set of problems, it would be another,” he said with a shrug.

And Bauer’s problems were all focused on the fact that his mission had been to bring a ship back for use by the UN. The world wanted equal access to the Pathfinder, but since it could only be piloted by Rey, and the US wasn’t about to let their star government employee be contracted out, a compromise had been offered up to get another ship for use outside the states.

“Sorry we couldn’t get the other ship,” she murmured and didn’t even bother to act confused at his surprised look. The three of them knew something was up with her.

Arik raised a brow before shrugging. “There will be other missions.”

_No more missions . . ._

It was a fleeting thought and it didn't belong to her. Her smile slowly fell as she turned back towards Mack. He stood a few yards away watching them. Suspicion shadowed her mind as her eyes met the liaison.

Fallinger looked as though he’d just uncovered a great mystery before turning and walking out of the room, leaving only a whisper of his mind behind.

_I knew it . . ._

 

* * *

Kylo stood close to the viewport, his eyes on the area where he’d seen her ship head. He was so close to her—the closest he’d been in over a year. Being so close . . . it was just as it had been before. The intoxication would pass eventually, but for now he revelled in it. It had taken every shred of willpower not to have her brought aboard and be done with this farce of diplomacy.

“No,” Hux had murmured to him days before. “We need to be patient. When she comes back, we can not stir up any more trouble.”

Kylo knew that, of course. This planet needed the protection of the empire, but that could only happen legally if they accepted annexation. Hux had been handling the majority of public appearances on the planet, his skills with diplomacy had yet to fail the empire in the past.

The Supreme Ruler looked over the churkopt scanning readouts for the planet. There was enough here to build ten—no a _hundred_ thousand ships. He would blanket the uncharted zone with destroyers from this system and finally rid the galaxy of the Resistance.

Hux had shaken his head. “It will not be as easy as you think. They are desperate for the spectrum injections, but these Earth humans . . . They’re different.”

The Supreme Ruler tilted his head as his gaze moved from shipyard construction plans to his general. “They are genetically identical,” Kylo said. “There is no difference between us and them.”

It was not unheard of for the genetic structure of humans from different worlds to differ ever so slightly due to environmentally-influenced mutations, but he’d had the Earth humans checked the first time he’d come . . . back when he’d hoped for something more from his exemplar and genetic compatibility had been an important factor.

Kylo heard the soft chiming of glass and knew Hux was helping himself to the Ruler’s private liquor. If he was doing that, then he was unhappy. Kylo watched his longtime friend and ally with a raised brow as the man swallowed around the fiery liquid.

Hux grimaced as he finished his drink. “Perhaps not at a cellular level, but their mindset is not one of a larger group,” he said, his pale gaze meeting Kylo’s own. “They have been alone with only their own existence, unaware of why or how they were placed here.” Now the general’s lips curled ever so slightly. “They see themselves as unique.”

Kylo snorted. “The seed ship from the expansion age was knocked off course and crashed here. They are not unique. They are an accident.”

Hux was eyeing the liquor but elected to quit while he was ahead. “Be that as it may. They do not regard us as kin. To them, we are outsiders. They distrust us because they distrust each other. We need to step carefully.”

Kylo had agreed, but he’d still felt part of himself ripping away as her ship had flown to the planet surface. Negotiations were moving along at a steady pace. Her people would hand her over once more, legally and without a fight.

Her employment contract with her government would be transferred to ambassadorial duties with the empire and then she would be within his sphere once more. They would meet on a more civilized footing and he would not make the same mistakes again.

* * *

 

Mack apparently hadn’t said anything to anyone about his suspicions of her because no one asked about it during her the briefing with President Hunt—and judging by the way they grilled her, someone would have asked if there was even a hint that she was able to read minds. They intimated to her though, that depending on how negotiations went with the empire, that her services might be transferred to another department besides the DOD.

“Depending on the outcome of our initial negotiations, we’re currently in the process of developing a new department.  You would be joining the Department of Imperial Relations along with Michael Fallinger.”

Mack . . . _He really did have his fingers in all the pies,_ she thought as she left the meeting. None of the joint chiefs had been clear on exactly what her job with this new department would be, but it was hardly worth worrying about at the moment. She was eager to return home to her family after staying in D.C. the last couple of days for meetings. Marina was already back in New York and Rey would see her tomorrow.

There were still people crowded around Bolling when she returned for her ship. She waved at a few of the more boisterous well wishers before walking aboard. It was a short trip back to New York and Griffiss Base. Rey kept the ship lower than the commercial planes and flew away from the city and towards New York. The ship set down twenty minutes after she’d taken off and Poe was there waiting for her with a hug and a burger.

Rey held onto him tightly before taking the bag, inhaling the sweet scent of greasy french fries and far too many condiments. “Oh my God, thank you!”

She was able to sit in one of the unused offices overlooking the hangar as all the equipment from the trip was removed, especially those batteries. Some of it would remain, but most of it needed to be removed and analysed— _especially all those little listening and video devices,_ she thought with a snort. She was still inhaling french fries when Poe finally spoke up.

“How was you your trip?” he asked as casually as he could.

Rey shrugged. “Not as productive as I’d have liked it to be, but we did get the others their injections and ident chips so we can freely move through the empire,” she said.

“Next time then. You still owe me flying lessons on that thing,” he said pausing a second before switching gears. “Shit’s been going crazy around here that last couple of weeks.”

Rey nodded. “I’ll bet. Aliens come a knocking for the second time, and this time they aren’t leaving . . .”

“Your old pal Karrie Kensington has been telling everyone that she thinks you're the light exemplar and that he’s been waiting for you.” Rey’s eyes swung to him and he hastily put his hands up in a surrendering motion. “No one _really_ believes it,” he added.

He was lying to her. It was in the way his eyes wouldn’t meet hers and the way his fingers tapped in the desk. People believed it, alright, but until he demanded that they turn her over, no one knew quite what to do.

Poe shrugged. “Anyway, James is on his way over to the house with some groceries for you. I need to hang back here for some equipment checks but I’ll be home soon.”

Rey nodded and waved him off. He smiled one more time before walking out of the hangar and towards the group of F-35 jets that were undergoing maintenance. Her own smile dropped as she looked back at her own ship.

If she were the light exemplar . . .

Rey looked down at her hand—felt the threads of the Force twisting and spiraling around her fingers, felt the darkness that surrounded her. She looked back up at the ship and longed to run away—run far away, but if it were really true, she didn’t know what Kylo Ren would do if she disappeared.

She snorted, thinking about it, and almost missed the shallowness of her life before. It seemed like so long ago, another lifetime perhaps. The problems and achievements of someone completely different from Rey.

She got up, chucking the empty fast food bag and slung her pack over her shoulder. Rey waved at a few of the base staffers as she walked through the compound and out towards her car. It was an assigned vehicle given to her by the government for her use but all she did was drive between the base and her new home. After the shooting, she just didn’t see herself going anywhere else.

The vehicle started with a push of a button and she drove the short five minutes to the gated military housing complex. Her home was buried amongst the rows of nondescript houses but even so, it was readily identifiable when she pulled up.

Rey turned the key in the lock of her front door and she pulled the many letters of support from her door as she entered the house. It creeped her out to see them there, as if they were in mourning. It was nice to get the letters and flowers from people who sympathized with her but she also hated feeling like she was being singled out.

Her psychologist had phrased it more politely but she’d been dealt a shit hand—it happened. And Rey felt she’d come out the other side better than most. She shut the door and dropped the letters into the box beside the door. She’d read them later and keep the nice ones and the forward the death threats to Mack.

There were still boxes scattered about from the move, Poe’s stuff mixed with her own. The DOD hadn’t wanted to let her live off-base, but she’d finally compromised and allowed Poe to move in with her—like she was a child that needed to be cared for.

Rey unholstered her lightsaber and set it down on the side table in the living room before dropping her bag on the sofa and making her way to her bedroom. She immediately went to her bedroom and stripped down for a quick shower.

 _Water still felt amazing,_ she thought with a soft smile. She didn’t plan on going anywhere else that day so she elected to throw on a set of PJs before padding back out to the kitchen for some food. Rey cut on the TV as she came around the peninsula and into the kitchen. Her fridge was mostly empty except for a few scattered take-out containers from Poe’s inability to cook anything other than ramen.

She grabbed a few slices of cheese and an open pack of crackers from the cabinet before going back into the living room and collapsing on the sofa.

“Annexation seems imminent at this point.”

Rey looked up from her crackers at the pundits on CNN as they fired off opinions left and right. The three of them were in different red white and blue boxes across the screen, each made up to perfection. Karrie Kensington was the only woman there and she was quick to respond.

“What do we really know about this Corellian Empire except that the Supreme Ruler likes to abscond with young women and then abuse them?” she asked, her blue eyes glittering in a way that Rey knew was a perfected talent.

The man on the screen beside her nodded emphatically. “And don’t forget the threat to destroy the planet if we didn’t deliver that poor girl to him! She went through hell to get back here and this is what she returns to? Us bowing down to the godless pagan that almost killed her?”

“We only have her word on what happened,” the news anchor said, clearly hoping to stir the pot.

Karrie raised a brow and both played into it and played off of it. “He and his people have had every opportunity to dispute her claims but they’ve said nothing on the subject. Their silence on the matter speaks more loudly than any statement they could have made.”

The anchor wasn’t giving up. “I’m not dismissing the circumstances of Miss Gillespie’s ordeal, but the benefits of annexation can not be undercut simply because of one incident.”

And now the other man cut in. “One _defining_ incident. There is only one chance to make a first impression. And have you read the annexation laws? They require educ-”

Rey cut the TV off, not wanting to hear any more. She’d heard way too much while in space about planets begging and pleading with the empire for annexation. The benefits of imperial protection and trade priorities were very well known.

She heard the door unlock and open and shoved another cracker in her mouth.

“You better not be sitting on your couch in your underwear eating cheez whiz!” James called from the foyer and she heard the tell-tale crinkling of plastic bags.

“It’s the only thing still good in my fridge!” she called as she got up.

James laughed as she helped him carry everything to the kitchen table. She kept a box of cheez-its aside as they put everything away and when they were done, she carried the box with them into the living room. He sat with her and leaned back, popping a few of her crackers in his mouth.

“I’m assuming you’ve heard what’s been happening,” he said, not beating around the bush.

Rey shrugged. “I told everyone he’d be back.”

“Yes you did.” James eyed her. “I’m sure you also know that he hasn’t shown any interest in finding Rey 2.0. He’s just been sitting up in his ship for the last three weeks while that ginger hottie general has been taking meetings with world leaders. Though, he’s looking better this time around, no more fucked up mask.”

Rey raised a brow but James was wisely not meeting her eye. She let out a snort of a laugh. “Sure, you can go hook up with Kylo Ren, alright?”

James shook his head fiercely and got up. “Oh, Poe told me to give you this,” he said, picking up a flatpack cardboard envelope from the side table and handing it over. She pulled on the perforation and opened it up. Inside there was another large unsealed cream envelope she looked over the fancy scrawling writing and recognized the address on the back.

“What is this?” she asked, blinking.

James sat back down. “It’s an invite.”

Rey pulled the thick white card from the envelope and instantly recognized the gold presidential seal at the top.

“It’s next week," James said as she read over it.

It was some kind of gala honoring a newly appointed press secretary. What happened to the last one, she didn’t know.

“Why are they inviting me?” she asked in confusion.

James laughed. “Girl, you’re a celebrity and now you’re a government employee. Of course they’re inviting you.”

Rey dropped the now cheeze-it smudged invite down on the coffee table. “Doesn’t mean I have to go.”

James shot her a horrified look. “Of course you’re going! Why wouldn’t you?”

“Not everyone likes to be on display,” she said with a shake of her head.

He shot her an unimpressed look. “Everyone there will be on display, you’ll be in good company. And besides, you’ll be able to rub elbows with some pretty powerful people. Just because you work for the government doesn’t mean you stop making connections. This is just like when you were working as an ad exec.”

Rey grimaced and was about to respond when her phone rang. She reached over and picked it up, her eyes moving over the name on the screen. She hit the ‘call’ button and put it up to her ear.

“Hey Marina,” she said.

“Hi, Rey.”

“I didn’t see you at the base. Are you still coming over tonight?”

There was a pause and Rey thought she heard Dr. Patel swallow. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it out there tonight. I have a—a guest in town visiting me for the next couple of weeks so I won’t have much free time.”

Rey blinked. She wouldn’t have expected a herd of horses to stop Marina from coming over. “Is everything alright?” she asked.

“Yes, yes. Everything’s fine. It’s just a personal thing. I’ll see you later, okay?”

She blinked for a moment before responding. “Alright. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Sure thing,” Marina said before the connection was cut off.

Rey looked at her phone silently after the call and James spoke up. “What was that about?”

She set the phone down in her lap before looking back up at James. “I honestly don’t know.”

* * *

Marina hit the end button on her phone, her eyes on the giant that stood in her living room. “You’re not going to kill me, are you?”

His eyes were white and had a sheen to them like soap and his skin was green and scaled. The high ponytail of long dark hair shouldn’t have been possible, but then perhaps scales did not mean reptile . . . she was utterly fascinated by him even as he scared the absolute shit out of her.

She’d just requested time off from work and had put Rey off. If he decided to murder her here and now, no one would know for days. His dark clothes and the—the lightsaber he carried at his side meant he could only be one thing: A Knight. Marina had never thought to see one so close. Rey had always said the Knights were elusive creatures, blending in and hiding—watching and waiting for the right moment to strike.

He was watching her now, his head tilted ever so slightly to the side as he looked down at her. He approached her, his long legs carrying him quickly towards her.

“I will not hurt you,” he said, his voice a low rumble.

Marina swallowed as she backed up a step. “Then why are you here?”

He reached out for her and she hastily stumbled back even further, her back hitting the wall with a soft thump. It was only a fraction of a second longer before he stood so close they were nearly touching. She craned her neck, looking up at him, and her head barely cleared his damn shoulder!

He reached towards her again and this time there was no escape as he leaned forward, caging her. His fingers brushed the skin of her arm and she regretted the thin sundress she wore. She watched as his—his _adam’s apple_ bobbed with a heavy swallow. He was clearly not human and yet he had a very human characteristic— _oh my God, get it together! Now is_ not _the time!_ she thought.

By now his finger had moved to brush over her collarbone and he gave her a toothy grin. “You can not help what you are,” he said leaning in even further, the sound of a deep inhalation accompanying the slight rustling of her hair. He was _smelling_ her. Increased olfactory acuity perhaps—

His chuckling caused her thoughts to freeze. He was so fucking close, she could see nothing but the intricate black on black pattern of his clothing and ridges of spikes along the back of his neck.

She felt his other hand reach up and engulf the side of her face, his fingers sinking into her dark hair. “What are you . . .” her words died as her mind opened and then everything fell away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Kylo's got a plan, Rey is confused, and everyone else is dancing to the tune of the exemplars . . . what could go wrong?
> 
> Chapter 34 will be up tomorrow. :)


	34. Chapter 34

The last few days had been quiet for Rey. She’d done some painting as Marina suggested, along with far too much shopping with Amazon and their blasted one-click check-out. Packages were piled up in her front hallway and Poe probably thought she’d lost her mind. She’d kept the television off ever since seeing a news report of a woman rigging up what she hoped was giant antennae to send messages of her undying love and devotion to Kylo Ren. 

It made Rey throw up a little in the back of her mouth.

“You gonna take care of all that crap in the foyer?” Poe asked over breakfast.

Rey didn’t look up from her phone as she texted with James. “Of course,” she answered as she had every day and he snorted so she added. “Actually, can I ride with you to the base this morning?”

He paused mid-bite. “You have a briefing?” 

Rey shrugged as she looked up at him and finally set her phone down. “I don’t think it’s anything as official as that. Mack said they need me this afternoon to take care of something, probably another interview or something.”

He raised a brow as his eyes moved over her baggy overalls and messy bun. “Why are you going so early then?”

Rey pointed over to the hand-crate on the floor. “I’m bringing a change of clothes with me for later, but first I’m gonna scrub that ship down.”

Poe’s eyes moved over their less than organized home. “Why don’t you clean the house first?”

“Why don’t  _ you _ clean the house?” she countered. That was the age old argument with them. They both made the mess and neither wanted to clean it up until it got bad enough for the landlord to threaten eviction. She and her brother were a couple of slobs, always had been.

Poe started laughing. “Well if it looks anything like your cars always did, the DOD is probably ready to declare it condemned.”

Rey threw half a strip of bacon at him before getting up and dumping her plate into the sink. She flipped him the bird on her way out as he laughed at her. Poe got up as well and followed her out, helping her carry her bag and the crate as well.

They parted ways after scanning their IDs and she headed towards the hangar where the  _ Pathfinder _ was housed and he, towards the jets. There were various people milling about the ship, taking readings on God know’s what and she nodded to the ones she knew before boarding with her crate.

Most of the larger and more frequently used spaces had been cleaned prior to her trip with Marina and the others, but there were still problem spots that just required more elbow grease than the cleaning crew had had time to put into it. 

Rey started with the cockpit and the duraplast viewport, but a few hours later she was on her back under the console scrubbing out the remnants of a haphazardly patched leak when a familiar pair of perfectly shined black leather shoes appeared beside her.

“Permission to come aboard?”

Rey slid out from her position under the dash. “It’s a little late for that isn’t it?”

Mack shrugged. “I suppose, but I thought it would be polite to at least ask,” he said as he held a hand down to help her to her feet. She was filthy so she kept her distance from the man’s perfectly pressed suit. He had a thin red folder tucked under his arm that Rey eyed as she sat back in the pilot’s chair. She didn’t offer him the other—he wouldn’t have taken it anyway. 

“I didn’t think you’d need me for a few more hours,” she said, gesturing to her soiled and sloppy clothing. “What’s going on?” 

“I heard you were already here so I thought I’d take care of this early. Your appearance doesn’t matter—at least not for this assignment,” he said before handing over the bright red file folder. “New orders for you.”

She took it, opening the file and looking over the contents. “I figured I was out of the job until they get this new department up and running.”

Mack shrugged. “The government is still paying you, so you had to know they’d find something to have you do.”

Rey looked over the specs. The International Space Station was having some technical difficulties and apparently needed a few replacement parts and an engineer to install them.

She looked back up at the liaison. “I’m ferrying people back and forth to space now?”

“For now,” he said with a nod before looking around. “Actually, it’s good that you’re cleaning this place out. If the talks progress much further, the ship will be going through some changes.”

Rey instantly baulked. “Changes? What kind of changes?”

Mack waved away her objection. “Nothing drastic, don’t worry. You’ll be getting official documentation in the next couple of weeks, but the DIR will be sending ambassadors to Corellia to complete negotiations. You’re the only one who can fly a ship off this planet, so you’ll be their acting pilot.”

She blinked in confusion. “You want to send me to  _ Corellia?” _ she asked while mentally counting all the ways that that was a very very bad idea.

Mack looked thoughtful. “According to General Hux, your presence will not be a problem. Because you’re a citizen—”

“Citizen?” she asked, cutting him off. “Exactly, how much do they know about me?”

“Enough . . . Miss Kilesvy. ” he said and she cringed at the name. “They know enough that they don’t consider you any kind of threat. In point of fact, they’re so gung ho about securing annexation, don’t be surprised if you’re treated better than most while you’re there. They want your good will.”

She stared at him for a moment. “That’s sort of . . . unlike them.”

Mack shrugged. “Apparently there will be an official apology coming any day now.”

Rey felt her lips tighten. “And I need to graciously accept it, huh?”

“That’s the plan,” he said, giving her a meaningful look. Rey paused a moment to contemplate the idea of the empire actually apologizing for treating her so badly. It wouldn’t mean anything, course. Lip service paid for the population to accept the terms of annexation.

She snorted. “Whatever,” Rey said, looking back over the various requirements of the mission. “I don’t see a date.”

“It’s today,” Mack said without missing a beat. “Whenever the engineer and parts get here.”

“Today?” she asked incredulously.

He smiled benignly. “No need to wait for launch windows or to run through enough safety checks to fill a novel. You can leave any time. We’ve already contacted the imperial vessels to let them know you’re coming out.”

She looked at him closely. His mind was still completely closed to her. “What happened while I was away?” she asked finally. Rey had seen the news, of course, and Poe had spoken of the return of Kylo Ren, but none of that told her what she really needed to know. He eyed her for a moment before looking around. She knew he worried over potentially being overheard. 

“I took care of it,” she said.

Mack met her eyes again and nodded, allowing the pretense to drop. “You never said anything . . . about what I am—about what  _ you _ are.”

So he knew. He knew they were different, and he was angry with her for holding that from him. Rey felt her head tilt to the side as she watched him. He was upset because for all that he’d discovered about himself, he’d apparently failed to grasp why Rey kept silent. 

“There was nothing to say,” she murmured.

Mack shook his head. “Bullshit! They think you’re powerful—powerful enough to sway a Knight from his purpose. That’s not  _ nothing.” _

Rey blinked several times as she processed  _ that _ information. Oh they were aware of her, alright. Kylo Ren had definitely been in a sharing mood, it seemed. But why would he tell Mack all this? Perhaps he really  _ was _ fucking with her—driving a wedge between Rey and one of her few confidants would be child’s play for a man like that. 

Rey did not look away from him. “None of that is any of your business,” she said placidly. “You barely have any connection and I’m . . . just trying to move on.”

He looked pained at the reminder. “You could have told me, though. Explained it to me. I would have understood—I would have helped you—you know that.”

She snorted as she once more brushed against his mind, allowing him to  _ feel _ it for the first time. “You say that, but you’re hiding things from me.”

He wasn’t nearly as shocked as he should have been. He’d felt such a thing before, and she could see that he was almost  . . . afraid. His eyes darted away as he stepped back. “You . . . I . . .”

She’d have normally left him alone, but Rey wasn’t exactly feeling charitable at the moment, not with her suspicions swelling and writhing within her own mind and in that of the other presence that lingered. “I could take it, of course. I could rip your mind apart—”

“—then why haven’t you?” he asked, interrupting her mid-sentence. 

Rey felt the presence press closer to Mack—she felt his want of violence. She was tempted to allow it, but no. Mack was her friend, her paranoia was no basis to kill someone and she shoved it down as far as possible.

“Because I trust you, Mack,” she said, her voice far more level then she’d thought to muster. “I’m trusting that you aren’t lying to me—that you really mean it when you say you would help me.”

She eyed him almost lazily as he swallowed heavily and nodded and Rey felt her own mind shudder and close off. He was lying to her . . .

Rey watched as he left, walking slowly, his head lowered. She didn’t know what he was lying about, but it was enough that guilt was  _ bleeding _ through his shields . . . his mind must have been seething with it.

“He will betray you,” Caserian said from beside her. “If he hasn’t already.”

The former Knight had been there since she’d arrived, but he was so used to moving about silently and unseen that she rarely spoke to him, even when he was present. Their connection was such that they would brush against one another on occasion and push any thoughts and feelings they wanted to convey.

Right now, Caserian wanted to follow Mack from the ship and kill him. Her hand came up and she wrapped her fingers around his wrist, allowing the barest of touches between her fingers and the sliver of skin between his sleeve and glove.

“I know.”

* * *

Mack stood alone in the deserted building waiting silently.

“I can feel your fear,” she said.

He didn’t turn around or otherwise show any indication of surprise—not like the flinches of their first few meetings. “She knows somethings going on,” he murmured, trying his best to keep his nerves under control.

Haila Ren’s laugh was like organ music through the modulator. “If she did not, I would worry for Master Kylo’s future. An unintelligent exemplar benefits no one.”

As she spoke, he felt the light touch of fingers pressing on his back through the suit. They moved over the gouging marks that decorated his back beneath the material and his skin jumped in the places where she paused and  _ pressed. _

“Please let me tell her,” he said softly, his head falling forward and his breathing uneven.

He felt her lean in closer to him, and her fingers continued to move until he felt the cool touch of leather on the back of his neck. She said nothing in response to his plea and any thing he’d have said further died in his throat as her fingers ran over the skin of his jaw before wrapping harshly around his jugular. Even though she’d done it before, he still let out a wheeze as his head was forcibly pulled back—further and further until his head rested on her shoulder and his eyes were on the ceiling.

She was far shorter than he was and his spine protested being bent backwards so far, but he made no move to stop her . . . it wouldn’t have helped. Her mask rubbed against his cheek in a mockery of affection and the sharp ridges of the swirling pattern cut into his skin. Her other hand came to join his for a moment, her fingers entwining with his own before she moved his arm back and he felt the brush of cold metal. 

Her lightsaber . . .

She forced him to take hold of it and she held his hand there tightly at her side

“Master wants another chance with her—a more natural setting. Like you Earth humans.”

Her words were somewhat disjointed and he’d realized in the weeks that he’d known her that her native language was . . . blunt. Her people had no poetry or music—no expression of love and emotion. Things were or were not.

“It doesn’t matter what he does,” Mack said tightly. “She’s not going to go anywhere near him.”

Mack felt her rub the skin on the back of his hand in response. It was not the harsh rending of flesh that occurred when she was angry with him, but soft touch that she knew he liked. That scared his even more.

“She has no choice . . . just as you do not, though you don’t want one.”

Mack felt himself swallow reflexively in response, felt her hand press down on his adam’s apple as though feeling it out.  

“You wish to be mine—you wish to serve.”

He shook his head. “I want to be strong.”

She laughed again. “I’ll help you. All you must do is obey me.”

He nodded hesitantly and he heard the slight hissing noise of her helmet disengaging. He shuddered against her as her fingers moved into his mouth and he obediently bit into the material and held on, allowing her to remove the glove and reveal the her mottled yellow, green, and orange scaled skin. Her black nails trailed over his jaw before they began tugging on his tie and he allowed his eyes to fall shut.

* * *

Rey was hours into her cleaning when her phone buzzed notifying her that the engineer had arrived. Caserian was around watching—though he didn’t help. Rey didn’t even bother being annoyed, but she couldn’t help the occasional comment.

“Lazy,” she muttered as she dropped a wire brush into a bucket of soapy water. He shrugged and continued to doze as she walked away. Rey grabbed a rag on the way out and wiped her hands as another woman in a blue jumpsuit pushing a cart approached. 

“Are you the engineer?” Rey asked.

The woman smiled and nodded as she held out a hand. “I’m Major Jacklyn Kurtzman.”

Rey shook her hand and looked over the cart. “Nice to meet you, Major.”

Major Kurtzman had apparently lobbied heavily to do this little trip. Kurtzman had been accepted into the space program years back but a car accident had ended that dream. Despite Rey’s earlier reservations, she was happy to help the other woman get to space, even for only a few hours.

Kurtzman was quite fascinated with the  _ Pathfinder _ and talked a mile a minute about the logistics of their mission as she unloaded the cart and strapped everything down. Caserian made himself scarce, leaving the ship for parts unknown, which was fairly usual for him.

There was no docking station for the  _ Pathfinder _ on the ISS so the major would have to jump from the ship to the airlock on the space station. The vast majority of the time Rey would be spending up there would be waiting for the engineer to suit up and then down. Rey made a mental note to get more advanced space suits next time she was out on a mission.

She sat with Kurtzman for a few hours in the cockpit as they went over the procedure of the jump. Rey would have to get close enough and match the drift of the station without the two colliding. The only reason she was even considering this was that the  _ Pathfinder _ had an automated drift standby mode—all freighters did.

“You need to get me within fifty meters.”

Rey nodded. “I think I can do that,” she said, looking over the projections and entering the data into the console. When they were ready to go, she radioed in with ground control for clearance and it was only a few minutes before they were cleared.

Major Kurtzman’s happiness was infectious as they broke the atmosphere with barely a tremor through the ship and the blackness of space filled their view. Her eyes were glued to the vast cosmos beyond their planet.

“I don’t know why you came back here when you had all this at your fingertips," she murmured.

Rey would have responded except her eyes caught sight of a ship hovering close by the station they were headed to. It wasn’t a destroyer, it was the  _ Defender. _

“Why is it so close?” she asked not really expecting an answer.

Kurtzman didn’t seem concerned. “The station has drifted slightly off course and the  _ Defender _ is apparently keeping an eye on it for us, just in case there is a problem.”

Rey looked back at the major. “I thought it was a minor issue.”

“It is,” she said before tilting her head. “But it’s nice of them to be concerned.”

The empire wasn’t  _ nice _ . If they were hanging around, there was a reason. She did her best to ignore the dark presence that loomed there in the shadows of space and instead focused on getting the job done.

Kurtzman got up and headed for the cargo bay. Once she was inside and the door shut, Rey turned the gravity simulators off so the engineer could more easily get into the heavy space suit. She radioed in their status to ground control as the ship registered the station and she turned on the automated drift proximity standby mode. She relayed to Kurtzman that they were in position and kept an eye on the scanner even as she watched the command ship, looming there in the distance.

_ It isn’t nearly far enough, _ she thought. 

“Alright, I’m ready,” came Kurtzman’s voice over the comm so Rey opened the bay door and watched via the ship’s monitoring system as the engineer used a chair-like jet propulsion unit to fly over to the station and through an airlock.

Rey could hear people from Earth congratulating Kurtzman and she smiled as she leaned back in her seat to wait. Her phone buzzed and Rey raised a brow but picked it up.

‘Be at Bolling tomorrow at 2pm.’

Rey raised a brow as she texted Mack back. ‘Why?’

‘So that we have enough time to get you dressed and done up for the White House dinner. Be there at two. I’m picking you up’

‘I wasn’t planning on going’ she wrote.

‘Going is part of your job. See you tomorrow.’

Rey rolled her eyes as she put the phone back down.  _ Get me dressed, _ she thought acidly.  _ As if I can’t dress myself. _

She could see her reflection in the viewport duraplast and pursed her lips at her own appearance. No makeup and hair thrown up into a messy bun along with a grunged out jumpsuit. Mack had probably taken one look at her this morning and gone to defcon 5.

_ I thought I would just be cleaning today. I was hardly going to be wearing pearls while scrubbing out a hundred years of freighter grime. _

Rey shook her head as she checked on the status of the repair. Kurtzman would be there another hour at least, it seemed, so Rey sat back and allowed her eyes to slide shut. The sounds of the engines and the darkness of space had calming effect on her. She longed to slide into a heavier meditative state, but now was certainly not the time so she kept her connection shallow.

The darkness was there—closer than it had ever been. Since the day her mind had fallen open, it had never left her.

_ Don’t be afraid, _ it had whispered.  _ We feel it too.  _

Rey wondered then about the darkness. Perhaps everyone had it wrong. Perhaps she wasn’t the light exemplar but rather a dark Force-user. This connection she had with the dark presence—with Kylo Ren . . . Perhaps it was merely that her connection fell within his purview.  _ Could it be that easy? _ she wondered. Could it be as simple as just being a dark Force-user?

But that still did not explain the  _ Defender _ that lingered around Earth. 

“You’re here for a reason. You’re  _ still _ here for a reason,” she whispered aloud into the silence of her ship. “Why?”

_ You know why. You won’t admit it even to yourself but you know what your destiny is. _

Rey shook her head. “No,” she said as her eyes snapped open. She took a breath and did not let her eyes stray to the command ship that seemed even closer now.

Were the last couple of years of her life only a  _ mistake _ ? The days of torture she’d spent slowly dying in the command shuttle before being jettisoned like yesterday’s trash . . . Had they been some  _ lapse in judgement? _ Rey had done so much to return home after  _ he’d  _ abandoned her on that planet. But the longer she spent on Earth, the more she realized that her life would never be what it was before. She longed to simply take her ship and head back into space—To lose herself in the anonymity of a galaxy brimming with life.

“Rey, I’m heading back over.”

She was shaken from her musings and instantly abandoned her train of thought. “Acknowledged.”

* * *

“What’s that?” Mack asked with a suspicious glance.

Rey looked down at the garment bag that hung over one of her arms. “It’s my dress. I mean I could be wrong, but this isn’t a jeans and tshirt event, right?”

He shook his head. “I had several dresses brought in for you. They’re at the hotel.”

She waved him away as she walked towards his car. “I don’t need those. I’m wearing one of Kord’s designs.”

Mack followed behind her but said nothing until he was inside the car with her. “We’ll talk about this later,” he murmured.

Rey made a noise of disagreement as the car started up. The trip was quiet at first, the sounds of the car filling the void, but there was one question that lingered in Rey’s mind.

“Who taught you to shield your mind?” she asked, looking out of the window rather than at Mack. “Was it  _ him?” _

The comfortable silence of their departure was replaced by a tension that grew heavier with every second that passed. Mack’s guilt returned and she fought to keep her emotions in check.

“If he did, I’ll understand,” she said, keeping her tone casual. “He offered you something—something that I didn’t.”

“It wasn’t him,” Mack said quickly, his words edged with fear.

Rey turned and looked at him. “Then who is it?”

“Another Knight. She—”

_ “She?” _

He swallowed but nodded. “I met Haila on the day that the Supreme Ruler came back. She taught me a couple of things, but that’s it.”

Rey didn’t probe his mind—there was no point. His thoughts were closed tighter than a bank vault. He was  _ still _ lying to her. She felt her lips pull into a smile . . . one of disappointed resignation.

“I don’t know a lot. You said I barely had any connection and you were right.”

Rey considered his words—considered the truth in them, and the manipulation that he was attempting. “Knowing the truth . . . it isn’t always worth it.”

He said nothing for a while as he contemplated how to extricate himself from the situation he’d found himself in. Caserian had said that Mack would betray her. She was afraid that he was right.

Mack’s next question broke her contemplation. “Would you go back? Do you wish your face hadn’t been on that picture?”

She felt her face flatten out. She’d been asked this question before—many times by reporters and shrinks and people on the street. Her answer had always been yes. Without hesitation. Yes. But Mack had never asked her before and it was the first time that she truly contemplated the answer. Did she? In the beginning, she’d have given anything for this all to have been a dream, but now . . . Rey felt her hand curl around the lightsaber strapped to her hip.

“I don’t know.”

He said nothing more and she let it go. He would be glad for the end of her questions. If she didn’t ask, he didn’t have to lie to her face . . . she didn’t have to face the sadness of such a thing. The car was quiet again for a while.

“How late is this thing gonna go?” she asked later as they entered the city.

“You won’t need to be there for long,” he said. “The Supreme Ruler is scheduled to speak to Hunt tonight so we’ll have you well away by then.”

“Tonight?” she asked surprised. “He’s going to be at the gala?”

Mack shook his head. “I don’t think so, no. But their clock doesn’t sync up with eastern standard time, so Hunt is accommodating him by leaving the gala early for their meeting.” They came to a stoplight and Mack turned to her. “I promise, I’ll have you out of there before he touches down. You can go back to the hotel early, and no one will begrudge you for that.”

As if Rey gave a shit if a bunch of reporters thought she was a giant coward for running away from Kylo Ren. She snorted derisively at the thought. Traffic in that part of DC was bumper to bumper and it didn’t help that the W hotel was right across the street from the White House. As it was, they finally arrived at the hotel just before four. 

Mack had, of course, booked a full on suite for them to use. The place was decked out with purple furniture and curtains and Rey couldn’t help looking around, impressed. There was already a woman milling about in the bathroom when they got there, setting out makeup and hair tools on the vanity.

A rack of pretty dresses was standing beside the doorway of the bedroom. Rey looked them over and thought that whoever had picked them out had obviously picked up on the fact that Rey usually preferred more natural tones. Her fingers rubbed absently at the plastic of the garment bag in her hand. Tonight, she’d elected to try something different. Kord had wanted her to get out of her comfort zone and so she’d give it a shot with the dark gown.

Mack made himself comfortable on the plush velvet sofa and Rey rolled her eyes as he started typing on his phone.

“I’m ordering food,” he said. “Make sure you eat before we go. I don’t know if we’ll be staying long enough for the dinner.”

Rey nodded and allowed the make-up lady to lead her away. Between all the primers and contouring and strobing and foiling, Rey thought the process would never end. Her hair was curled and pulled away from her face in a low bun and golden clasps were added to match her dress. Rey didn’t even look at the gowns on the rack as she gave her own a quick steam. She might have been uncomfortable with having another woman there fawning over her in a fancy hotel room, but when it came time to actually get the dress on, she was glad for the help.

As Rey looked at herself in the gown, she felt a sense of familiarity . . . as though she’d seen the pattern and texture before. She ran a finger over the design, her eyes narrowing, but for the life of her she couldn’t place it. 

She put the thought from her mind as she opened the door and stepped back out into the living room. Mack already had on his tux and he was still punching away at his Blackberry, just as she’d left him hours before.

“Ready?” he asked, not looking up from the screen. 

Rey picked up her lightsaber and tucked it under her arm as she put a few things in her clutch. The weapon obviously couldn’t come in with her to the White House, but she refused to leave it completely behind in the hotel.

“Yeah, let’s go,” she said before turning and thanking the make-up artist. 

By the time she turned back around to face Mack, he’d stood up and was in the process of fixing his suit, but his motions had frozen. His eyes moved over her and Rey couldn’t stop the slow smile that spread over her features.

“How do I look?” she couldn’t help asking.

Her gown was black with scrolling gold detailing and an off-the-shoulder design that she loved. This dress was rather toned down from Kord’s usual style but it was still an eye-catching look.

Mack’s open jaw snapped shut. “You look—beautiful,” he stuttered out, his face taking an expression of mild confusion at the last word as if he’d never thought to put the word beautiful in any sentence involving Rey before. “I guess you really did have a dress,” he added to cover up his slight blunder.

Rey allowed her smile to widen further. “Yes, this is my  _ alien _ dress made by my  _ alien best friend.” _

The liaison rolled his eyes. “I have a car waiting for us downstairs. We just need to stay long enough for you to schmooze, and then you can come back here and enjoy a night in a world class hotel on the government’s dime.”

She snorted. “I’m still a little dubious about this whole thing. I’m gonna be in a room full of  _ reporters _ ," Rey said, disgust on slightly coloring her words.

“Karrie will be there," Mack quipped as though that made all the difference.

It didn’t.

Rey didn’t roll her eyes but it was a closer thing. “Karrie Kensington might not have played that sound bite, but she’s built a brand new career around me and the fight women have against men, even ones from other planets.”

It wasn’t that Rey didn’t support the idea of feminism, it was more that there were other women who’d had it so much worse that she did. Their stories were the ones that should be heard, not Rey’s own over and over.

Mack paused and his brows rose a bit. “She’s your biggest fan and your most vocal supporter in the media. It’s best that you play nice, especially with her.”

She shook her head. “I’ve got nothing to prove. Not to her or anyone else.” Rey attempted to keep walking but Mack put a hand on her arm, stopping her.

“Rey," he said quietly. “We are all being watched. We’re all on trial. Your story and the things you do—they have consequences. The annexation of Earth can completely fall apart in seconds,  _ especially because of you.  _ The empire is playing nice for the UN to try and drum up support for annexation because they want what we have. But you and I both know they don’t need permission to take whatever they want, by force, if the planet decides to oppose them.”

Rey felt her brows knit as she looked up at him. “The empire doesn’t conquer planets. They don’t need to, and it’s bad PR.”

Mack grimaced. “We’re out in the uncharted zone surrounded by star destroyers. I don’t think the Supreme Ruler is concerned about PR,” he said and Rey could see how he and others could have that opinion. “Tonight, smile that wide smile of yours, talk to everyone who wants to talk to you, and at least look like you’re having a good time. It’s only a few hours and then it’s all over.”

She sighed and nodded. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

Mack let go of her arm and the pair continued on and left the hotel in a dark sedan. It was only a couple of blocks to the White House but with all the celebrities and press, it was a madhouse and it took them almost an hour to get there.

“We should have just walked," she said as they finally pulled up.

Mack laughed and he got out first, holding his hand out for her. She took it and stepped out into the sea of flashing bulbs. People screamed her name as she moved along the red carpet. Her first instinct was to keep walking, but there were other women there—people she identified as movie stars who were posing for the cameras.

Rey was not nearly that graceful in heels but she did her best to give the photographers what they asked for. It lasted all of about ten minutes before she was sick of the entire thing and walked on, her fingers clutching Mack. She wished Poe was there, but he’d had work first thing in the morning, and a late-night soiree just wasn’t feasible.

Mack directed her to a group that she recognized at most as being well-known people in the entertainment news sphere. Thankfully, no one asked her anything she was uncomfortable answering. It was many of the same questions she got anyway; “How are you adjusting to your job with the government?”, “Are they treating you well?”, “Do you want to go back to space?”, etc. And then there was Karrie Kensington, who leaned in and got a hug from Rey as though they were great friends.

The other woman was decked out in a heavily beaded strapless white gown that set off her tanned skin and platinum hair beautifully. Her red lips had already pulled into a wide smile showing off perfectly straight white teeth.

“Rey, I was looking for you," she said leaning in close.

Rey did her best not to lean away too obviously from the cloying perfume of the reporter. “Well you found me," she said, her lips tight. 

Mack was still by her side, but he seemed to be more interested in making sure the photogs at the event captured lots of images of the two women together. The skin around Karrie’s eyes tightened for a fraction of a second before smoothing out again and the smile became wider. 

“Oh now don’t be like that. You’re going to need friends, especially when the ones you have start disappearing on you," she said with a glance at Mack.

Rey’s brows knitted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

By now, Mack had turned back towards them and Karrie’s blue eyes were glittering with an unidentified emotion. “Oh, he didn’t tell you?” she asked, her head tilting ever so slightly as she moved in for the kill. She pulled her giant phone from her clutch and fiddled with it. A slow smile spread over her painted red lips as she handed the phone over.

Mack tried to take the phone first, but Rey was on it like a viper, the phone nearly  _ flying _ into her hand. 

“Rey,” he said, fixing her with a pleading look. “Please give me the phone.”

“She’s going to see the photos on my show tomorrow night anyway,” Karrie said. “I’m just giving her the chance to get her thoughts and statement together before we go public.”

Mack glared at the other woman as Rey looked down at the phone, her eyes narrowing at the image. It was dark and taken from a distance, but it clearly showed Mack and . . . a woman? A woman dressed in black with a mask. Haila Ren. Rey swiped through the images. There were dozens of them, each time, Mack wore something else.

Karrie’s tone was light. “Mr. Fallinger, here, has been angling for a position with Corellian Empire. He’s been all kinds of chummy with one of Kylo Ren’s Knights. She was all over him on the White House lawn and apparently she’s been staying at his apartment every night since—Of course . . .” She trailed off and looked as though she were a predator going for the throat. “I  _ can’t imagine _ what  _ you _ and a _ lady Knight _ would have to talk about.”

Karrie obviously did not know about Mack’s Force-sensitivity. She thought he was acting as a spy . . . but every night? She looked back up at him, her lips tightening. So Kylo Ren  _ had _ offered something that Rey hadn’t. Mack’s eyes got wide and his mind slammed shut even tighter than it normally was.

“It’s not what it looks like, Rey.”

Except it was. “You’re  _ lying _ to me,” she hissed lowly, pushing at his mind, pounding on his walls until his eyes watered and his body shook. Rey slowly became aware that not only was Karrie silently watching their exchange but others had begun to look in their direction as well. She immediately ceased and stepped back.

Rey continued to glare at him, and Mack shook his head. “I—I’m going to go wait in the car. I’ll talk to you later when there aren’t so many people.”

He turned and walked away and the further he got, the more her anger drained away until he was out of sight and an irrational sense of loss filled her. Karrie stepped closer to her and Rey looked up at the other woman. 

“Why did you do that?”

The reporter was entirely unrepentant, one brow was raised as a smug smile curved her lips. “You deserved to know the kind of man he is. Michael Fallinger was an ambitious son of bitch before he ever met you. He thought he could use you to elevate his position and now that annexation is imminent, he’s hitched his cart to another horse. That Knight taking a shine to him made him think he was untouchable. Someone needed to remind him that selling you out like that has consequences.”

Rey couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her. “I don’t know that he sold me out.”

Karrie moved around until they were fully facing one another. “You aren’t that gullible or that stupid, Rey. Something has been going on—something other than what you thought would happen. Galactic rulers don’t wait around in the ass-end of nowhere for the sheer pleasure of it. Kylo Ren is after something, or  _ someone, _ and he’s waiting for some reason to snatch it up. I know you’ve noticed it.”

She had, and she looked up to meet the eyes of the statuesque blonde. “I . . .”

“Rey!”

The tone of the voice was familiar and Rey turned around, her eyes wide. “2187!”

She blinked in dumb stupidity as he walked quickly towards her, his dark officer’s uniform standing out starkly against the beautiful gowns and pristine tux’s of the gala. Rey knew that Karrie was also watching ‘87 with curiosity. He was obviously imperial, but he knew Rey well enough to call out her name and for her to  _ smile _ at him. 

Her arms went around the ex-stormtrooper who returned the gesture and she felt the eyes of a few other people in attendance on them but she didn’t care. Her friend was here—perhaps one of her only friends. 

As they pulled apart, she eyed the uniform in confusion before looking up and meeting his eyes. “‘87, what are you doing here?” she couldn’t help asking.

His smile was wide with pride. “The Supreme Ruler asked that I act as a liaison with your planet, at least for now, since I have some experience with your people.”

She’d known of course, that he was with Kylo Ren, but she’d never been able to figure out  _ why. _ Still, she tried to match his happiness. “I guess we’re in the same boat, then. I contacted your base on Ord Canfre but they said you’d been transferred and wouldn’t tell me where you were.”

‘87 got that guilty look on his face. “Yeah, a couple months after you left, the Supreme ruler stopped by the planet . . .”

She blinked rapidly and was grateful that Karrie couldn’t understand Galactic Standard. “Why?” she asked slowly.

Her friend bit his lip. “He was looking for you.”

Rey couldn’t help shaking her head in denial. “Our business is finished. I’m not the one he was looking for.”

Dread began to creep up on her and the cold of the darkness slithered over her mind and body. It drew nearer and nearer, calling for her. Slowly the tinkling noise of champagne glasses and murmuring of the guests faded away and all that she could hear was the echoing of her own breathing . . . her heartbeat . . . and his.

“Um . . . About that—” ‘87 said but he cut himself off as the hall went silent and a man flanked by imperial guards entered.

Rey stared at him for a moment, the sound of her breathing growing louder and louder until it roared in her ears. Her body shuddered as their eyes met for the first time in almost two years.

She felt someone touch her arm. “Rey!”

She looked up at met Karrie’s eyes and she could see concern there as the woman leaned in. “Turn around,” she whispered. “The door where the waiters are coming out of—go through there to the back. There’s another door that will get you to a hall. Go left and go all the way to the end and you’ll be in the back gardens. You can leave that way.”

Rey swallowed rapidly as she nodded and turned and  _ ran.  _ The people there parted for her like the Red Sea and she picked up her skirt as she entered the kitchens and looked around for the exit.

Her breathing was ragged by the time she made it to the hall and she paused long enough to pull her phone from her clutch. Her fingers trembled as she moved down the empty corridor. She hastily dialed Mack and held the phone up to her ear.

“Look I’m sorr—” he began as he answered.

Rey pushed the door open to the back gardens even as she hissed out. “Shut up, Mack! You’re in the car?”

There was a pause before he answered. “I just got in—”

She looked around the garden, her eyes searching for a way out. “Bring it around to the back. I’m on my way to the back lawn.” She hoped she was, anyway.

“Why?”

Rey stumbled a bit, her foot catching on the dress. “He’s  _ here, _ Mack. Bring the damn car,” she snarled, hanging up.

She found the exit finally, but it was a hundred yards through the gardens and the lawn to the other entrance. 

_ Rey _ . . . 

All breath left her body as the sound filled her mind. She turned and looked back. There, through the darkness, stood another figure. His face was partially obscured by a half mask. Her vision became hazy and the only thing she could hear was the straining sound of her own ragged heartbeat.

“You . . .” she said, taking a step back. Her feet sank into the soft grass of the lawn. He said nothing, merely stared at her as she swallowed. He attempted to brush her mind with his own but she shoved him away.

“Stay out of my head,” she hissed.

“You have nothing to fear,” he said at last, his voice modulated by the mask. He stepped forward cautiously. “I won’t hurt you.”

Rey took a few steps of her own backwards as the towering monster matched her stride for stride but his reach was further and he was still _ getting closer. _

“What do you want?” she asked desperately stalling for time before he did whatever it was that drove him to seek her out.

Kylo Ren seemed confused by the question and he reached up and removed the half-mask. “You know what I’ve come for,” he said, and his voice was like a gunshot in her mind.

She shook her head. “No! It’s not true!”

He was only feet away from her, watching her and she could feel his . . .  _ concern _ for her. It repulsed her. “I want nothing to do with you,” she said.

“What either of us want is irrelevant. What shall be done is all that matters.”

Rey glared at him. “You’re a liar. Either you were lying before or you’re lying now. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it ends now. You got your kicks—I know my place. Haven’t you done enough to me?”

His eyes narrowed and she felt her muscles freeze and he came to stand before her. “Oh no, Reyna. It will never be enough. You and I will  _ never _ be finished.”

“Rey!” 

The sound of someone calling her name was enough to break Kylo’s concentration and they both looked back to see Mack running towards them across the lawn, but it wasn’t his frantic face or fearful thoughts that caught her attention.

She reached out and her lightsaber flew from his hand and into her own. She ignited it and got the satisfaction of seeing Kylo Ren’s eyes grow wide as the blue glow illuminated the space between them before she slashed the blade towards him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to leave it here, but I have about two weeks of school left so I'm doing the last tests of the semester and then finals back to back. This chapter and the next are so different from what they were before. I had to rewrite these scenes multiple times and there are _thousands_ of words that were completely cut out and replaced. The scene with the engineer and the two of them going to space is one of the only parts from the original doc that's left in this chapter. I almost completely cut it, but tbh I liked it too much. The initial draft had Rey basically falling all over herself in fear, similar to her reaction of seeing him for the first time on the holonet back on Ord Canfre. But it's been a while since then and she's not the same person that she was. I think she's stronger so I tried to incorporate that while still keeping a healthy dose of fear.
> 
> So yeah, you guys got 15K in two days. I know it took me a month to post this stuff, but I hope I made it worth the wait. :)


	35. Chapter 35

 

Rey charged toward Kylo, swinging her saber back and forth wildly and Kylo leapt back to avoid being cut in half. He side-stepped her sloppy attacks easily and with a grace that belied his enormous size. The way in which he nearly danced away from her just made Rey angrier, and she couldn’t help opening her mind slightly, allowing the shallowest of connections. 

It was petty and spiteful, but as she’d hoped, he was thrown off balance for a fraction of a second—just long enough for her to land a glancing blow on his shoulder, cutting through his richly embroidered clothing and the first few layers of skin. He hissed in anger and his own saber flew into his hand on instinct. She saw utter disbelief and fury coloring his face as he glared at her. It really had been an underhanded trick, but when one was facing down a five hundred year old monster, one did what one had to do.

He didn’t yet ignite the familiar blade, but held it tightly by his side. She brandished her own weapon in front of her, the blue glow illuminating the area. 

“What?” she asked snidely—hatefully. “You don’t like it when people start swinging lightsabers around trying to kill you?”

His lips curled into a sneer as he looked down at her and she could feel him  _ letting go. _ His mind had been a cinderblock wall to her when he’d stepped out, but just as she’d done before, he allowed fractures to split through his defences. Her stomach dropped and it was like the void sucking her in.

The darkness beyond was calling to her . . . 

_ You would use our connection against me? _ it— _ he _ asked, his overwhelming presence filling her thoughts and mind, smothering her and Rey faltered, unable to handle the sheer power behind the assault.

As swiftly as it was there, it was gone again and Rey forced herself to steady her hand as she noticed her lightsaber trembling. They stared at one another as their connection became silent and the air stilled. How long they stood there, she didn’t know. How long they would have stood there, she could never guess because seconds, moments, days later, Kylo’s lip twitched in the barest of snarls, and his gaze moved away from her. The silence was replaced by a soft choking noise.

“Rey!” a strangled voice called and she turned around long enough to see Mack falling limply to the ground.  _ Why was he still there? _ she wondered, surprised.  _ What had he done to draw Kylo Ren’s attention? _

“Mack?” she called in a panic, unsure if the liaison was dead or alive. Rey tried to go to him, stupidly turning her back on the Supreme Ruler, but she wasn’t able to go more than a few steps before her body froze once more.  _ Goddamn son of a bitch, _ she thought, struggling against the inability to move. The lightsaber powered down without her consent and she was gonna _ kill _ him. 

“Release me,” she said harshly.

He stepped around her, his robes brushing the bare skin of her arm as he kept close. Her eyes were level with his chest and she would have spit at him if she could have—especially when that velvetine glove came under her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his again.

His voice was even, with an edge of condescension that grated on her. “I made a mistake before, Reyna. But I want to make it up to you.”

Rey let out a harsh chuf of a laugh. “What do I have to do to get you to understand that I don’t want anything from you?”

If he was offended by her tone, he didn’t show it. “You may want nothing, but you need me—”

That word . . .  _ need. _ Oh there was something she _ needed _ to do. 

“Like hell!” she barked out cutting him off. Her eyes landed on the nearest solid object, and she reached out with the Force and gripped onto a park bench and  _ hurled _ it at him.

Kylo’s jaw dropped open as he realised what she was doing, but his reflexes had his cross saber powered on in an arc of red. He swung it around, destroying the bench in a fiery explosion of embers, molten metal and shattered wood. The attack was enough to distract him and his hold was broken a second time. Rey felt lassitude return to her limbs and she staggered a bit before leaning heavily against the base of an ornamental tree, winded by the effort. She’d never moved anything heavier than her lightsaber before. 

Rey felt his eyes on her, taking in what she’d done and how it affected her. She only looked away for the barest fraction of a second, but it was enough time for him to approach her again. Her back hit the tree as she tried to back away—tried to power her lightsaber back on, but he was done playing games. Kylo’s hand came down and his fingers wrapped around her hand, his gloves doing little to block the effects of a physical connection between the two exemplar. 

Fireworks exploded behind her eyes as everything around her came into sharp focus and yet fell away so only  _ he _ remained. His eyes which had been so dark and fathomless were  _ galaxies _ of color and and she the saw the golden threads of life reflected in their depths.

Rey looked away and would have taken a step back if she could have, but between Kylo and the tree she was boxed in. And just beyond him, Mack’s thread was vibrant against the darkness of the night. They weren’t on the Force plane but the threads were there all the same. It was beautiful—perhaps the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, and to experience it with another by her side . . . She let out a shaky breath that she hadn’t known she’d been holding.

It was . . . it was too much.

_ For now . . . but not forever. _

Kylo was there, feeling her— _ being _ her. Rey looked back up at him. His entire being was a pool so deep that she’d never reach the bottom. The waters of his mind were a calm and unlike anything she’d ever experienced. 

_ Why, _ she wondered.  _ Why hadn’t it been like this the first time they’d met?  _

He didn’t answer, but she felt his shame at his own actions It was then that the still lake parted, and she was allowed to see what lurked beneath. The terrible writhing,  _ seething _ mass of anger, insecurity and pain. In the center were those burning eyes.

That . . . that monster was what Kylo Ren truly was—what he had become after five centuries alone. Rey sensed his need for understanding from her, but all she wanted was to  _ escape.  _ Rey forced her hand to pull away from his, but it was the command shuttle all over again and he  _ wasn’t letting go. _

Her hand trembled with exertion and fear as she yanked on it, but the tight hold of his fingers had effectively tethered her to him. “Let go!” she managed to snarl out like a cornered animal. She’d hoped it would be a forceful declaration, but it seemed more of a pitiful plea. The golden light of the threads began to fade as she tried to pull away from him. 

Ren’s eyes were on her and his mind was within her’s. “You’re strong with the Force, Reyna. I feel it within you, but you wander without purpose or direction. I can give you both,” he said, fingers tightening. “A home . . . a teacher, a life beyond anything you can imagine.”

Rey stared at him, transfixed for a moment, before shaking her head, trying to keep her mind steady. “I don’t need you,” she breathed. “I know enough!”

_ Let go! Let go! Let go! _

_ . . . no . . . never. _

His mind tried to hold on to her as she pulled away from him, but he’d  _ followed her back. _ Kylo was there, whispering in her mind, promising her anything her heart could desire, and her eyes widened at the feeling of him—her stomach churned at how _ familiar _ he was. 

He set his jaw as he looked down at her. “You’re wrong,” he said aloud. “You’ve barely scratched the surface of what there is to know beyond the pitiful teachings of my apprentice. You nearly  _ died _ and he could do  _ nothing!  _ I will teach you to  _ save yourself _ just as I was able to do centuries ago.”

_ Died . . ? _

Rey blinked in confusion as  _ he _ forced the lingering memory of that day back to the forefront of her mind.  _ It couldn’t be true, _ she thought, but it was. The hand that had held hers— _ his hand _ —that had kept her thread from snapping . . . She stopped trying to pull away from him—stopped breathing as she looked down at where his fingers were wrapped around her own.

“You . . .” she breathed, her brow furrowing and her jaw trembling. “It was you—I thought . . .”

Rey hadn’t know what she’d thought. She’d suspected Caserian but the Knight had never said anything or appeared in such a way on the Force plane before, so she’d never been completely sure.

Kylo picked up on her thoughts and he let out a snort. “I trusted Caserian to protect you, but he failed.”

She swallowed. That day . . . no one could have predicted what would happen. “Caserian . . . it’s not his job to protect me,” she said quietly, before finally looking up and meeting his eyes of her own volition. They were so dark and glassy and she saw herself reflected in them.  _ Let go of it . . . your fear, _ he whispered.  _ Come with me. _

That was a bad idea on more levels than she could count, but he— _ Kylo Ren _ —he was  _ infesting _ her. His eyes narrowed at her thoughts.

_ You’ve done the same to me, Reyna _

Had she? Had she made him as crazy as he’d made her?

He pulled almost gently on her hand again and she moved without thought towards him, an automated response that she couldn’t help. He holstered his lightsaber before reaching around her to rest his other hand on the small of her back. Her mind was adrift with how serene she felt, all while something was screaming at her to  _ run. _

“Let her go!”

The sound of that voice had all the air rushing back into Rey’s lungs as she abruptly returned to herself and realized her position. She tried pushing him away, but Kylo held on. Rey had to twist herself unnaturally to look back and see her friend.

“Caserian,” she said uncertainly, watching as his eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared at the sight of her embrace with his former master. Still he didn’t fly off the handle like she thought he might.

Instead he looked around, taking in their surroundings. “I thought you had more tact than this, master,” he said, slowly approaching.

It was then that Rey noticed the windows to the White House were crowded with people, many of which had their cell phones out, recording the whole thing. She shrank back and tried once more to push Kylo Ren away. This time, he released her. She looked up, wondering at the change, only to see that he was no longer looking at her. His gaze was on Caserian, and the disdainful expression on his face was so like the younger Knight’s.

“And I thought,” Kylo began boredly. “Your wish for survival would supersede your stupidity. You ran from me—from your responsibilities and for what? You could not even keep an assassin from her.”

Caserian’s lip curled in anger and he stepped forward. “Shall we test that?” he asked and Rey felt her jaw drop as  _ two _ lightsabers flew out from his robes and into his hands. He held them differently than she did her own—the opening of the saber facing behind him rather than ahead.

The Supreme Ruler did not seem worried about the agitated Knight. She felt curiosity coming from him—felt his interest. “You challenge me, apprentice?”

The younger man seemed to grow even angrier. “I can only be free if I defeat you.”

Kylo’s head tilted, but his expression remained unchanged. “Is this what it took to get you to take your training seriously? A childish fantasy of a future that can never be yours?” 

Rey felt the less-than-subtle push from both Kylo and Caserian and she stumbled back away from them, giving the pair a wide berth. 

_ Holy shit they’re going to kill each other, _ she thought, watching the scene with wide eyes.

She shook her head and looked towards Caserian. “Don’t fight him,” she called. “You don’t have to do this.”

Caserian had to feel the  _ waves _ of power rolling off the Supreme Ruler. Kylo Ren was fucking ancient and he seemed  _ bored _ with the other Knight. He didn’t answer her, instead Caserian took a step back before launching himself forward, indigo blades sparking violently as they illuminated the area. One came down upon his master and Kylo had his own saber out, blocking the attack while his free hand extended from his side, halting the thrust of the other blade as it headed for his gut.

Rey staggered back as she was hit with an onslaught of emotion—an agony of heartbreak that was not her own. She watched as the two held their position, neither moving as they stared at one another. But then Kylo growled in rage and Caserian was pushed through the air with the force of Kylo Ren’s power.

The Knight didn’t go far though and within a fraction of a second he was back in front of Kylo, slashing and cutting the air with his twin purple sabers. The Supreme Ruler might have only had one saber, but he was clearly more powerful than Caserian and he could stop a blow with only a wave of his hand. 

The shrubs and some of the statutory weren’t as lucky. Shattered stone and burning bushes began to litter the area and Rey could see that Kylo was rapidly losing patience with his former apprentice.

He did not have to wait long for an opening from the younger man as Caserian was knocked back and onto the ground, Kylo’s hand coming up and forcing him harshly back into the pavement. The Supreme Ruler’s saber lazily moved forward so that the tip hovered inches from Caserian’s jaw.

“Enough,” Kylo said, not even out of breath from the fight. “You can not defeat me—not as you are. Your new . . .  _ crystals _ are not enough to save you.” Kylo’s eyes flitted back and met Rey’s. “She can not save you either—not the way you wish her to.”

Kylo continued to eye the her, and Rey felt him probing her mind. Whatever he found seemed to satisfy him as he looked back down at Caserian. “Return to me, apprentice. I have been more than generous with you and your rebelliousness—”

“Why do you insist on keeping me?” Caserian demanded, cutting off his former master. “Why are you drawing this out when all I want is to be away from you!”

Kylo’s gaze moved towards the purple sabers. “I admit my part in driving you away. I made mistakes with you—I pushed you too hard too fast, but only because you were  _ worthy!” _ His voice was a grating thing, fury lacing his tone as he stared down at the younger man. Rey could read that through it all, Kylo Ren was genuinely upset by the events that we occuring.

Caserian shook his head. “You see things in me that aren’t there . . . they were never there. You can say I’m the heir you chose, but we both know that If I went back, it would be the same as it was.” He trailed off for a moment and his eyes fell shut as his breathing shuttered. “I wasn’t what you wanted then, and you punished me for it. By the time I left, you  _ hated _ me.”

Kylo flinched at the declaration, backing away. Rey felt the ripple of . . .  _ shame _ as the Supreme Ruler was faced with his mistake . . . and it caused him so much  _ pain.  _

“You have truly left me, then,” Kylo said and Rey could hear the weariness that seemed to cause the great man to slump inwardly even if only for a fraction of a second, before he regained control of himself and he straightened again. His arm dropped and Caserian was released from the Force-hold. “Fine, you are no longer a Knight. Do as you will.”

Rey swallowed heavily at the scene she’d just witnessed. She’d known that Caserian had had a deep connection with Kylo Ren, but she hadn’t thought . . . Kylo Ren was in such pain and Rey pushed down the urge to go to him, to comfort a person—any person—who was feeling so much pure misery. 

She didn’t go to Kylo, though. She went to Caserian’s side, helping him back to his feet. “What just happened?”

The former Knight leaned away from her, putting distance between them. “We’ll talk about it later,” he said, his hair falling down into his eyes and obscuring the emotions she could feel swirling around inside him.

“Caserian,” she said again, but before she could ask again, Kylo cut in.

“The Defender will be departing from this system in three days. Gather your things and be ready to leave,” he said, reholstering his lightsaber to his side.

Rey looked back at him, her brows furrowing. “What? What are you talking about?” she asked. The man was clearly running out of patience with the situation, but Rey didn’t give a damn. 

Kylo let out a chuffing breath, unable to keep the condescension from his words. “The only reason I came back to this backwater planet,” he began, eyeing the way her arm was around Caserian’s shoulders, “was to find you.”

“Find—” She cut herself off at the ridiculousness of that statement and shook her head. “Leaving me to die on  _ one _ planet wasn’t enough for you? Which one are you going to choose next? Jakku?—or maybe you’ll choose the ass-end of nowhere and go with Tatooine.”

He grimaced. “If you had stayed put, you’d have—”

Rey blinked several times as he spoke, his words hitting her like a mac truck, and she angrily cut him off. “Stayed put? Did you just tell me I should have  _ stayed put _ ?” she asked incredulously. The sheer  _ audacity _ of the man in front of her was staggering. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He gritted his teeth as he glared at her. “I should leave you here then?” he asked with a wide gesture towards the White House and the many dozens of people watching the spectacle. His eyes were wide and his lips curled into a sneer as though he could not believe the farce he was being forced to deal with. “And watch as you degenerate further in maddness?”

Rey shook her head. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He watched her with those fathomless dark eyes and she could feel him poking at her mind. “The flashes of anger, the paranoia, the lashing out in violence . . .” he said knowingly. “Why do you think I came to you tonight?”

She blinked once—twice before looking away from him and back towards Mack’s prone body. He was still there, laying unmoving in the grass. She knew he lived but . . . she  remembered attacking his mind—hurting him.

Rey swallowed heavily. “That’s . . . that’s not true,” she said.

Kylo’s voice was soft with an understanding that Rey wished she hated more. “You know it is. I can feel it within you, like a second skin slithering over you, choking you until you haven’t the energy to fight it anymore.”

He took a step forward and she flinched and shifted closer to Caserian.

Kylo’s eyes followed the movement and narrowed. “I can’t leave you on this planet, Reyna. I would if I could, but doing so would destroy us both.”

Rey looked up at him—this towering man cloaked in black . . . her nightmare man. She couldn’t help the tears that welled up, and they slipped out a few at a time before coming in a downpour as Caserian’s arm came around her.

“Please don’t,” she whispered.

“I have no choice,” Kylo said. “Be ready in three days.”

With that, the Supreme Ruler turned away and began walking back towards the building. She watched him go before looking away, her shoulders shaking as she buried her face into Caserian’s shoulder.

 

* * *

 

 

If there was one thing Kylo hated, it was being ‘ushered’. One did not escort the Supreme Ruler anywhere. He went and others followed. Even with his feelings on the subject, he hadn’t objected in the face of Hux’s placid expression—or the blistering anger that the copper-haired man was projecting.

Kylo had discarded his translation mask whilst speaking to Reyna and so he stood there in the middle of the furiously squawking gathering of people in stoic silence. The general and his team of negotiators were going back and forth with the Earth humans—dealing with the fallout of what was rapidly degenerating into an international crisis.

Reyna Gillespie was the light exemplar. She’d been cornered and had attacked Kylo Ren, the Supreme Ruler of the Corellian Empire. She’d thrown a Force-damned  _ bench _ at him. Kylo was more concerned with the embarrassment of such of thing being witnessed than he was harmed from the less than lethal attack by Reyna.

And then an unknown Knight with twin light sabers had appeared and he’d fought the Supreme Ruler, only to be soundly defeated. Neither Kylo nor any of his people were being terribly forthcoming about the identity or reasoning behind the other man’s presence.

But he cared little about any of that.

Kylo’s mind felt calmer than it had in centuries. She’d stared down the dark creature that infested his mind and with only those few seconds of contact, it had lost much of its power over him. It had taken everything he’d had not to pull Reyna in—not to swallow her up and devoid her of her mind temporarily. It would have been so easy to take her then if he had. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t been tempted, but he’d waited this long for her. He could wait a few more days. 

Their reunion was not what he’d hoped for, but it was also not as bad as he’d feared. Reyna might not have liked him terribly much, but she was exemplar, and her reactions, physically and mentally were more in line with what he’d expected on their first meeting.

_ She hadn’t been strong enough then, _ he realized. Her connection with the Force wasn’t enough to draw her into his mind and the darkness . . . it had all but consumed him by then.

But she was strong enough now. Sheer power running almost entirely on instinct and snippets of Caserian’s memories. The former Knight has been generous with his memories, but his training had been far from complete when he’d left and Caserian had obviously not trained at all while he’d been away and his knowledge and talent had dwindled.

Kylo felt his lips thin at the thought and heard the uncomfortable shifting of the people around him as they saw it.  _ That color _ . . . he thought. The one tangible object of connection between them and Caserian had seemingly discarded it. Kylo wondered then, what had his apprentice done with the crystal. The crimson shade of Caserian’s staff saber had been a point of pride for Kylo . . . but it was gone. His apprentice had done the unthinkable and it  _ burned _ Kylo to know that Caserian had truly left the Knights—had left him.   

His fists clenched at his side. Caserian was to be a powerful Force-user. Kylo had foreseen it even before hearing the pained cries of a child as death approached him. He’d coveted that power for himself, had thought that in the event that the light exemplar did not return during his lifetime, that Caserian would be . . .

Kylo felt his eyes slide shut for the barest of moments. 

He’d allowed an attachment, but the Supreme Ruler could not find it within himself to regret it. Reyna would return with him to Corellia to be trained and Caserian would follow. Kylo would not allow for anything more than a master-student relationship between them, but perhaps his plans for his former apprentice could still be salvaged.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned back around. Hux was standing there, removing his own mask so they could speak in Standard. At the sight of his long-time ally, Kylo finally tuned back into what was going on in the rest of the room.

A man in a suit with a red tie sat on the other side of the conference table and his voice carried over the others. “We will not be held responsible for the Supreme Ruler’s decision to confront Miss Gillespie here. Your Imperial Guard kept our secret service away from the vicinity and now the US Government looks like we can not even protect our own employees.”

Even as the man spoke, his eyes had found Kylo’s and the Supreme Ruler raised a brow, causing the Earth human to shrink back the slightest bit. It seemed the man had forgotten that while Kylo did not wear the translation mask, he could still understand everything being said.

One of Hux’s negotiators was quick with a reply. “There is no protecting the light exemplar. She belongs to the Corellian Empire—to our Supreme Ruler—”

“No,” Kylo said and while he hadn’t spoken loudly, the noise in the room was abruptly silenced. His people understood him, of course, but the Earth humans had yet to receive the nanites. They only heard the sound of his voice and that was enough.

Kylo’s eyes landed on one of his own people and as he spoke, the other man spoke as well, echoing his words in English. “She does not belong  _ to _ me. She belongs  _ with _ me. Reyna will eventually stand by my side,” he said before moving his eyes back to Hux and breaking the connection with the negotiator. “Come with me.”

The general nodded and the room remained silent as he and the general exited followed closely by the guard. Kylo didn’t bother speaking as he ordered one of the many suited attaches that seemed to flood the building, to take him to a place of privacy. He then sent out another call and followed after the attache.

Hux was still irritated, but he was far too professional to let any of it show in public. They stepped into the small private sitting room and the guard spread out to every corner, their helmets swiveling subtly as they scanned the room for recording devices. Kylo waited as two were removed and crushed.

“You did exactly the opposite of what you were supposed to do,” Hux hissed out.

Kylo felt himself grimace. “She was being overcome.”

The general let out a huff. “Have you no self control? We had everything laid out for her future and complete agreement from her people. Now they’re backing away in the face of the bad press that’s exploded because of what happened.”

Kylo gritted his teeth. “She is what’s most important—”

Hux was the only one who would dare to not only get so close to him but to also poke him  _ hard _ in the chest, cutting him off.  _ “No _ Kylo! The Empire—The hundred  _ quadrillion _ sentients that depend on the us— _ they  _ are what matters!”

The Supreme Ruler swallowed. “She needed me,” he said petulantly.

The general raised a brow. “Yes, judging by the  _ bench _ she threw at you, she was truly crying out for your help.”

Kylo glared at the other man. “I had to—”

Hux shook his head, cutting he off again. “No. You didn’t. You  _ wanted _ and now we’re dealing with the exact incident that was to be avoided.”

He looked away. “The situation can still be salvaged.”

The general snorted, unimpressed. “Really? How’s that?”

Kylo’s gaze slid towards the door and suddenly there was a knock. He wasn’t looking at Hux, but he could feel the other man rolling his eyes, even more exasperated with the Supreme Ruler than before. One of the guards opened the door and a woman in a long white dress and a blank expression stood there waiting for instruction. 

The Supreme Ruler beckoned her forward and she walked in as though she were a graceful swan on display. Even as her mind swirled with the idea of speaking directly with Kylo Ren, she didn’t like him . . . no, she was a supporter of the light exemplar and the perfect mouthpiece to diffuse the situation.

Hux handed over his half-mask and Kylo fitted it over his mouth and nose before speaking. “Miss Kensington, isn’t it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been like a month since my last update, but in my defense, I had a maymester class that had me reading 4 chapters a night that we were then quizzed on the next day--every day. I still have one more day left, but I wanted to get this chapter out asap. 
> 
> This thing had to be broken down and remade a couple of time to get everything across and I hope I succeeded and that it was worth the wait. The next chapter will be like a part 2 of the goings on during the direct aftermath of what happened here.
> 
> I know I'm super behind responding to comments! I'm going to do my very very best to get to all of them this weekend. I have a few days off, however I'm visiting my family to I'll be online sporadically responding to people.
> 
> Thank you so much for your continued interest in this story. I know it's a slow burn from hell and if you've stuck around this long, you have my utmost respect.
> 
> Hopefully there won't be another month between updates!


	36. Chapter 36

Rey sat on her couch with her elbows resting on her knees while her face was buried in her hands. Perhaps if she ignored everything going on around her and blocked it out with her fingers, it would all go away. It was a sad and childish hope, but today was one of those days when she desperately wished that such a thing was possible. But no, Kylo Ren’s looming face and indifferent expression was seared into her eyelids and no amount of wishing was going to erase that from her mind—not for a long time. 

These things ran through her mind and she was silent as Poe threw accusations around and said things he would probably regret later. As much as she wanted to pretend this wasn’t happening, she couldn’t ignore all the people who currently surrounded her. She could feel them—people she knew, people who loved her, people who saw her as an opportunity . . . and the void that concealed what was actually going on here.

Precious few of them were welcome in her home, but there was little she could do short of forcing them away . . . an idea that was becoming all the more appealing as the hours passed. She should have gone back to the base—she’d been ordered to do so, but Rey had felt justified in her decision to tell them all to go hell. She’d gone home to her brother.

Said brother was livid. “You can’t just let him take her again!” he barked out. Rey finally looked up and found Poe jabbing his finger into Mack’s chest  _ hard. _ The liaison's expression didn’t waver from the mask that had seemingly fallen over him since the’d left DC. Mack had yet to meet her eyes even now and Poe’s temper was rapidly deteriorating in face of what he saw as a complete betrayal.

“Mr. Dameron,” Mack began placidly. “We’ve been assured of your sister’s safety by the Supreme Ruler—”

Rey flinched as Poe’s voiced barreled through the other man’s attempts at placation. “Funny  _ you _ should bring  _ him _ up. I got a call from a woman telling me that you sold Rey down the river to that despotic shitlord for some black-robed piece of ass.”

Mack flushed at the accusation and there were whisperings amongst the other bureaucrats who looked entirely uncomfortable in Rey’s cluttered house. The liaison was clearly caught off guard by the statement, but he only let it show a fraction of a second before his features smoothed out once more.

Rey had seen the pictures, but she’d only felt feelings of guilt from the liaison for mere minutes before the void had once more settled in Mack’s mind and he was closed off from her once more. He’d known something was going on and he hadn’t said anything. He’d hidden things from her and short of tearing down the fledgling walls of the weak Force-user, the man’s secrets would be kept. 

Kylo Ren had said that the darkness was slowly driving her mad. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but even now, Rey could feel a difference in how she was processing this situation. She could never imagine doing something so cruel to Mack, and yet that had been exactly what she’d wanted to do before. She’d wanted to punish him—hurt him. She’d thought he deserved to suffer for hurting her.

Rey swallowed as the conversation continued around her.

Mack sighed. “I did not discuss Rey with either the Supreme Ruler or with . . . with Haila Ren,” he said, voice even just until he got to the Knight’s name. It rang like a shot through Rey’s mind. _ Haila Ren, _ yet another of Kylo’s Knights . . .

Poe snorted derisively. “Like I’ll believe anything you have to say. You aren’t nearly as slick as you think you are,” he said before turning away. “She’s not going anywhere near that crazy bastard. He’s gotten his pound of flesh out of her already.”

FN-2187 also tried his hand at calming the pilot down. “Mr. Dameron, the Supreme Ruler has every intention of making up for the past. He has been preparing for her arrival for a very long time.”

Poe’s eyes moved up and down the ex-stormtrooper, taking in his dark imperial uniform along with his earnest expression. Rey had talked about 2187 quite a bit—had his portrait hanging up in her front hallway at the moment. She’d hoped to introduce the two of them one day. They were so similar in so many ways, but none of that was registering with Poe at the moment. All he was seeing was yet another person trying to defend someone he saw a monster.

“He threw her away like trash,” Poe hissed out. “Tell him to pick someone else!”

Rey looked up at the lightsaber that laid so innocently on her coffee table. She reached out and the weapon flew smoothly from the glass and into her outstretched fingers. 

Silence reigned through the room and she looked down at the etched designs that threaded around the hilt. There was little point in hiding her abilities now. By now, anyone and everyone with access to a television would have seen what had happened. They would have seen her use the Force and fight against Kylo Ren. They also would have seen her nearly succumb to him and their connection. 

She didn’t need to look up at Poe to know he was almost assuredly clenching his jaw. She hadn’t said anything to him—hadn’t wanted to tell him or anyone else, but it seemed that . . . destiny? Fate?  _ The Force _ was pushing her to this moment. It was hard to fathom the idea that everything that had happened to her was all for this  _ reunion _ with the dark exemplar. Rey didn’t know much about how the whole Force thing worked, really, but she knew enough—enough to look up towards Caserian and he nodded in return.

“It doesn’t look like that’s a possibility,” she said quietly.

Poe came around the coffee table and crouched down, drawing her gaze and taking her hands into his. His voice had a hard edge as he looked up at her. “Rey, you can fly that ship of yours. Let’s grab a few things and we’ll leave.  _ Now.” _

He ignored everyone around them who spoke up trying to stop him as he pulled her to her feet and towards the door. She didn’t bother trying to stop him. There was no way they’d be allowed to leave the planet, and sure enough the secret service men stepped in front of them, blocking their path to the front door. 

2187 came closer and put his hand on Poe’s arm. “I’m sorry, Mr. Dameron. If you take Rey and leave the planet, the Supreme Ruler might react very negatively.”

Talking to Poe about  _ Kylo Ren’s _ feelings was probably the worst thing 2187 could have done, and Rey could tell that the the situation was degenerating quickly.

“Get out of my face, lap dog," Poe spat and she couldn’t see his expression but her normally carefree brother’s voice was low and threatening.

She reached up and clutched at his hand. “Poe, don’t! That’s—”

The pilot cut her off. “I know who he is, Rey," he said glaring at FN-2187. “You were there on that planet. You saw what he did to her. How he treated her and yet here you are, helping him to take her  _ again _ .”

‘87 licked his lips and Rey knew Poe’s words had affected him. “Mr. Dameron—Poe—The Supreme Ruler . . . he wasn’t in his right mind then and I know that excuse can’t make everything alright, but I’ve been serving with him for almost a year now and I can tell you that he will do his best to make up for his mistakes.”

Poe’s lip curled. “But why does he need to take her? He’s older than dirt, and ya’ll were clearly okay with having an unhinged psycho leading your empire. Why can’t he just leave and pretend like none of this ever happened?”

2187 stepped closer. “The exemplars need continuous physical contact in order to keep themselves balanced with the Force. If they don’t have it . . .” ‘87’s eyes moved from Poe to Rey. “They turn into what Kylo Ren was before: a shell of themselves—unbalanced and consumed with only one side of the Force.”

Rey felt Poe’s fingers tighten around her arm. “That would happen to Rey?” he asked hesitantly. She swallowed guiltily as he turned back to look at her. There was a tightening around his eyes and a sense of horror filling her brother’s mind at the thought of Rey being driven insane by something so ephemeral to him as the Force. He didn’t understand why she would somehow be different and why things couldn’t be the same as they were.

Her heart broke for him as memories of all their ‘talks’ about the future passed through his mind. They’d had so many plans and ideas—things they wanted to do and see, and it was all slowly being lost to them like sand slipping through their fingers.

“You never said . . .” he began quietly before trailing off.

And if she could have staved this off forever, she  _ never _ would have. Rey felt so stupid for being so blind. She hadn’t  _ wanted _ to know and now she was stuck with Kylo Ren and the mess he’d made.

“I didn’t know,” she said after a moment before shaking her hand and sighing. “I mean I wasn’t sure.”

Poe’s brow twitched and his fingers tightened around her hand. “What does that mean for you?”

Rey honestly didn’t know, but 2187 spoke up. “The Supreme Ruler has fought off the worst of the symptoms for five hundred years. Now that they’ve met, and their minds have connected . . . she will have felt the effects already.”

Rey swallowed heavily, and Poe blinked down at her. “You’re really like him?”

Her shoulders slumped as the air deflated from her lungs. She couldn’t meet his eyes even as she couldn’t escape that sadness and fear that he felt for her. Rey bit her lip and ran her thumb over the cool metal of her saber. Her mouth opened, tempted to deny it, but then time seemed to slow down—or more specifically, the people around her froze as their minds fell into a trance.

“You should tell him,” Caserian said from behind her.

Poe’s eyes went wide at the sight of the darkly clad man suddenly appearing before him. He backed up a step, bumping into 2187. “What the hell is  _ that?” _

Rey turned to face the former Knight. “Is this really necessary?” she asked, gesturing to all the people who seemed to hang in the air like silent unused puppets. Only Poe, 2187, and herself remained untouched.

“Rey!” Poe said loudly, pulling her back towards him and away from what he thought to be a Knight . . . a threat.

She shook him off. “Poe, this is Caserian. He’s my . . . friend.” She stumbled over the last word and looked away as a small smug smile spread over the other Force-user’s mouth. The former Knight moved closer to her, coming to stand just behind her and Rey did her best to stifle the shiver that ran up her spine. Force-users in close proximity apparently had a tendency of eliciting that response from her. She looked up at him and his brows rippled with innuendo. 

_ God, you’re such a child, _ she thought, but that only made his smile grow and his head tilt. 

“I met him out there. He’s been helping me,” she said and judging from Poe’s raised eyebrow and the once-over he was giving Caserian, her brother thought the ex-Knight was doing more than that.

Rey sighed. Caserian  _ was _ rather possessive of her. She knew that. She’d felt his burning anger and hatred at the Resistance after the assassination attempt . . . she’d felt the brush of his mind during all hours of the day and night—felt his presence beside her as she slept. The smile on his face dropped as he picked up her last thought and he looked away from her. 

“Caserian used to be a Knight, but he separated from Kylo Ren.”

She remembered then, the burning pain from the Supreme Ruler. He hadn’t wanted to let Caserian go, but he’d done it anyway. But there had been a glimmer of  _ knowing  _ in Kylo Ren as well, as though things were going according to his plans even as his favorite apprentice tried to sever their connection.

Poe grimaced. “I saw some of the footage . . . the bench . . .” He looked down at the lightsaber in her hand. “And that. You can do things.”

Rey licked her lips as she nodded. “Yeah. I’m not . . . not very strong, but lately it’s all been hitting me and things have been happening.”

2187 spoke up then. “That’s the lack of contact with the dark exemplar. The darkside longs for the light and will try to consume you. Kylo Ren is the only person who can keep you in balance, just as you’re the only person who can keep him in balance.”

Caserian came to stand beside her and Rey looked up at his pained expression. He did not try and refute ‘87. “Without proper training and the presence of the dark exemplar, you will begin to degenerate again. You will start to lose control of your power and with your extended lifespan, you would . . .” The former Knight trailed off.

“End up like him,” she finished. Rey wasn’t entirely sure which option was worse . . . going completely insane or spending the next however many centuries with Kylo Ren. It was a close competition and she sighed. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Caserian brow furrowed and he swallowed audibly as he tried to sort through his own conflicted emotions. She could feel how he hated himself for keeping secrets from her while still wishing she didn’t know. 

“I thought I could help you,” he began. “I was his heir and I’m versed in the dark side and the light. I thought I . . .”  . . . _ would be enough. _

She felt his sentiment more than heard it. Rey knew she would have talk to Caserian about this at some point, but now was not the time. The former Knight picked up on her hesitance and his face closed off as he backed away. She felt the Force close in around him as he returned to his place on the stairs. He sat down again on the landing, reclining back in his usual lazy style, watching her—watching them all.

“Rey—” Poe began, but before he could finish, awareness returned to the rest of the people in the room. Mack was blinking in confusion, clearly aware that something had happened. The liaison would have been much harder to control than the average human and it was a testament to how much Caserian apparently didn’t like the man that he’d extended the energy necessary to control another Force-user in such a way. She looked at her brother and could see the burning questions in his eyes but he was also smart enough not to mention what had just happened. 

He turned back to 2187. “If I let your man, Kylo Ren, carry her off again, I’m not sure I could ever forgive myself.”

“She will be treated like a queen.” ‘87 hesitated before adding. “You are more than welcome to accompany her as an attache in her retinue. Having a soldier by her side will be beneficial and I’m sure the Supreme Ruler would approve of her having a family member to assist her during her transition.”

The pilot snorted derisively. “Awful kind of him.”

“Poe, please.” Rey finally spoke, her energy drained emotionally but also physically ever since she’d used to Force to attack Kylo Ren.

He turned back to her. “Rey . . . ”

She looked up at him hopefully. “Please come with me. I don’t want to do this alone. Not again.”

He nodded and turned back to Mack who hastily added. “I’m sure we can fast track your leave paperwork.”

Poe didn’t seem happy and Rey reached up and wrapped her arms around him. “It’s you and me, Poe. Just like always.”

He kissed her forehead. “Alright," he said before turning back to the servicemen and the government reps. “We’re both going. You guys can all leave.”

Mack looked ready to object to being thrown out, but before he could reply his cellphone began buzzing frantically in his pocket. Rey watched as he retrieved the device and then as his eyes widened. 

He looked up and met her gaze. “Turn on the TV,” he said and Rey blinked several times but nodded and picked up the remote, snapping the television on and since she still had it on CNN, it became very obvious very quickly what had spooked him.

Karrie Kensington’s perfectly tanned and buffed features filled the screen. She wore a white suit jacket, but Rey could clearly see the pale sequins of her White House gown peeking out above the top button. This would have been something hurried and last minute if the reporter hadn’t even had time to change.

“I’ve just sat down for an exclusive interview with the Supreme Ruler of the Corellian Empire, Kylo Ren. This is his first interview that he’s given here on our planet,” she said and camera switched to a view of Kylo, sitting there with one leg crossed over the other. He wore the half mask needed to translate his words to those without nanites so only his eyes were left uncovered. Rey’s background in marketing kicked in as she noticed that the lighting on Karrie held a golden hue making her look vibrant and healthy, while the lighting on Kylo was on the bluer side of the spectrum and with his space-pale skin and dark clothing, he looked positively ghostly by comparison. It was not terribly flattering. 

Rey got the feeling that Karrie had done it on purpose.

“Thank you for coming, Supreme Ruler,” she said.

Kylo Ren merely nodded and stared at her. The broadcast was silent for only a fraction of a second before Kensington’s professionalism kicked in and she began the interview.

“Why did you come to Earth?”

Rey blinked.  _ That’s it? _ she thought.

That was the opening salvo from a woman who’d ostensibly been frothing at the mouth to take Kylo Ren down a peg or two? Karrie should have gone in guns blazing. This softball was entirely unlike her.

_ She’s under his control. _

Rey didn’t nod her head in agreement with Caserian—she didn’t need to. He felt her understanding of the situation as well as her familiarity with the Supreme Ruler’s methods.

Kylo’s chin came up in answer. “I came to retrieve someone of great importance, not just to me, but to the galaxy.” The camera focused in on him and his words had a sort of resonance to them that would have seemed contrived and needlessly theatrical with anyone else. 

“Reyna Gillespie,” Karrie said, the picture switching back to her and Rey picked up on the way her eyes twitched slightly, as though she were fighting the way her mind was leading her. “The light exemplar.”

“Yes,” Kylo said leaning back in a more casual fashion. His dark clothing caught the light as his cape draped further down from his shoulder to fall into his lap. His gloved fingers laced together as he continued. “I was born the dark exemplar and both are needed to keep balance with the Force.”

“The Force being a . . . mystical kind of energy that binds all living things together.” The last words of description were rattled off, almost as if Karrie had employed a bit of rote memorization that was unnatural to the usually smooth reporter.

“Precisely,” Kylo answered, his head tilting slightly.

“But there was just you for—” Karried hesitated for only a fraction of a second, as though unsure if  _ she _ even believed what she was asking, before continuing. “For five hundred years?”

_ You have connected with the reporter before. You can free her of his influence. _

This time Rey’s eyes did meet Caserian’s He still sat there on the landing, his gaze meeting her’s through the balusters of her stair railing.  _ Karrie’s all the way in Washington,  _ she thought.  _ No one can reach that far. _

Caserian raised a brow.  _ Perhaps a normal Force-user could not, but you are an exemplar in the presence of two other users. Draw on us and break his hold. _

As the former Knight’s words washed over her, Kylo’s voice resonated through the room and Rey felt her eyes slide shut.

“There was another,” he said softly, a note of something peculiar in his tone. “A light exemplar was born with me, however he was killed—assassinated while we were still children. It was of great importance that I locate the next light exemplar, lest the same befall her as well.”

Karrie was quick on the uptake even as Rey weaved through the millions of threads that separated their physical forms. “You’re talking about the murders of the four women who had gone with Miss Gillespie to Champ du Mars.”

Rey could still see the broadcast through Caserian’s eyes. He was allowing her to draw on him and his power. She could have drawn on Mack as well, but the presence of the lady Knight hung like a dark cloud over the liaison and she did not even want to brush against him, tainted as he was.

Rey could feel the presence of the Supreme Ruler infesting Karrie, but it was nothing like the seal on Kord. It was not a single-minded obsession to complete a task, but rather a set of blinders leading her down the path of Kylo’s choosing.

She allowed her fingers to run through the mist of aura—of sheer power surrounding the reporter and felt his eyes upon her. She also felt his grudging respect for what she was doing from so far away. Rey was about to rip his influence away, but time seemed to slow down and while his physical form remained seated, he presence engulfed her.

_ So eager to free this woman . . . she is a greedy thing undeserving of your protection. _

His presence brushed against her, but the revulsion she expected never appeared.  _ It doesn’t matter. What you’re doing is wrong. You can’t control people like this! _ He pulled away from her and it angered her further when her first instinct was to follow.

_ We do what must be done, Reyna. I know you won’t understand—not yet, but I do this for you. _

_ You’re right. I don’t understand. _

He didn’t try to stop her again as she pulled his influence out of Karrie’s mind. Time returned to its normal flow and he watched her as he answered the previous question.

“Enemies of the Corellian Empire will do anything to destabilize the government. Murdering defenseless women is not below their purview.”

Karrie seemed to blink out of her trance, and her eyes narrowed. “The perpetrators still have yet to be apprehended,” she said pausing for her usual effect. “How do you know they are your enemies?”

Rey returned to her physical body, sighing as the effects of what she’d done hit her. Mack was eyeing her as she slumped over, but she ignored him and instead refocused back on the tv. The screen was filled with his face, but Kylo didn’t react to the baited question visibly, though she could tell he was displeased by the direction of the conversation 

“The assassins were from the same organization responsible for the last exemplar’s death. They have already been found and dealt with.” His words were level with no inflection that she could detect to determine his feelings. 

Karrie blinked, silent for a second before she found her voice again. “Dealt with—are you saying that your own forces have arrested those responsible?”

The Supreme Ruler’s eyes flattened. “There was no arrest.” 

Karrie obviously picked up on his meaning and her jaw dropped. “Sir, we have laws in place to prosecute—”

Kylo cut her off. “They are not of your world and thus not subject to your laws, nor are they imperial citizens and therefore have no rights within my domain. They are terrorists— _ murderers _ and they were punished accordingly.”

Rey could see Karrie leaning back slightly in her chair at Kylo Ren’s forceful words.  _ Oh this was going to go over so well with everyone, _ she thought. Then again, with the way people had been voting while she’d been away, some of them would probably be eating this up.

Karrie was careful with her words. “We would call that vigilantism.”

The dark exemplar was unfazed. “You may call it whatever you like, Miss Kensington. The fact remains that I will do whatever I must to protect citizens of the empire—the light exemplar amongst them.”

Karrie’s head tilted to the side, pouncing on the opening like a lion on a wounded gazelle. “Then why did you leave her on Ord Canfre?”

It was a simple question, one that Kylo Ren had no doubt been waiting for—his words designed to elicit sympathy. “I was not in my right mind when we first met,” he began slowly, his eyes moving downward, and his hair falling slightly over his forehead, giving him the look of a wounded child. “I’ve lived alone for five centuries with half of my soul rended from my flesh. By the time I realized that I’d made a mistake and gone back for her, she’d already left the planet and I’ve been searching for her since.”

Karrie didn’t immediately fall for it. She pressed on instead. “But Miss Gillespie was here on Earth for the last few weeks, and you did not immediately approach her.”

The dark exemplar looked up again, his eyes shining a bit more and Rey felt her fists clench at the show he was putting on. “No. I thought it best to give her . . . space,” he said and the word was added as though someone had fed it to him but he didn’t exactly know what it meant in this context. “I’d hoped for a less . . . formal second meeting.”

“And yet you confronted her at a White House gala.”

He nodded. “I could sense her there. She was having—problems. Those with a strong connection to the Force, especially the exemplar . . . we feel things more strongly. Someone upset her and her mind was falling into the darkness.”

The camera didn’t cut back to Karrie, and Rey knew the woman was smart enough to put two and two together and she drew closer to whatever goal she had in mind. “This would have been when she discovered that one of her closest confidants was actually secretly working with one of your Knights.”

Rey couldn’t see the smile behind Kylo’s mask but it was there. “It was hardly a secret . . . at least not from those that needed to know. The liaison is mildly Force-sensitive and he sought instruction from one of my Knights after being granted permission by your own government. He has never discussed Reyna with Haila Ren.”

Karrie didn’t look like she quite believed him, but she moved on none-the-less, her face free of expression, but her eyes intent. “And Dr. Marina Patel? Is she Force-sensitive too?” she asked.

Rey froze as the name sounded through the room.  _ Marina? _ No . . . No that couldn’t be right. Marina was just taking some time off after their trip. Her head snapped to the side as she looked up at Mack, but he was furiously typing something into his phone.

The Supreme Ruler’s brow furrowed. “I’m afraid I don’t recognize that name,” he said.

The reporter smiled. “Another of Miss Gillespie’s companions. My sources say she hasn’t been seen in public in seventeen days. Her mother went to her apartment to check on her, but it was empty. There was, however, a tape recorder from where she was making notes for her report on her trip to space. This was the last ten seconds.”

Karrie made a gesture and a staticy recording began to play.

Marina’s voice sounded first “—Need to call Rey later to schedule our talk and go over possible itineraries for next—” she gasped and there was a clatter and a muffled noise as the doctor presumably dropped her recorder.

“What are you—”

“Shineja diyeh stege’ah.”

Rey felt her hand creep up to cover her mouth in horror. Marina was . . .

“That’s Galactic Standard, isn’t it?” Karrie asked.

A muscle jumped in Kylo’s cheek. He’d planned his answers out so carefully, but now he’d been blindsided. He took a calming breath. “I remember now. That doctor, a biologist if I recall correctly, was given leave—again from your own government—to accompany one of my Knights aboard the Defender. She is doing preliminary biological research in behalf of your people. I apologize. I did not recognize her name, but I do recognize the voice of the Knight in your . . . recording.”

“She sounded frightened,” Karrie said.

Kylo Ren inclined his head in agreement. “Londra Ren is rather . . . imposing. He is Falleen. Theirs is a very—unique species and their males interact with females in a different manner than your people do. Had I known that the doctor in question was female, I would not have assigned Londra to speak to her.”

“Is she in danger?” Karrie asked, leaning forward.

“Far from it,” he said. “Falleen males tend to be rather protective and doting on the women in their charge. I merely meant to say that later, he will no doubt be somewhat broken-hearted when her assignment is completed.”

Karrie’s head tilted at the answer, unsure how to interpret Kylo’s words. She quickly shook off her confusion, though and looked back at the camera. “Coming up, the rest of my interview with Supreme Ruler Kylo Ren. Tweet us your questions during the break and he’ll answer them when we come back.”

Rey sat in silence on the sofa as a commercial for toilet cleaner came on the screen. She felt like vomiting, but held herself together. Marina had been taken and Rey hadn’t known . . . she looked up at Mack.

“Did you know about this? About Marina?” she asked, getting up from her seat.

Mack licked his lips, swallowing. “Yes—but she’s fine. She’s having a ball, really, aboard the Defender. I’ve spoken to her—” Mack felt the tightening around his throat and he stopped talking. It wasn’t enough to hurt him, but he got the message, none-the-less. 

She gritted her teeth. “And no one was going to say anything to me. You were going to manipulate me into going to Corellia and back into the belly of the fucking beast.”

“The Supreme Ruler assured—” he tried.

Rey shook her head, completely done with the situation and with him. “Fuck you Mack! Fuck all of you!” she screamed pointing at all the suited men who stood around her. “Get the fuck out of my house!”

The liaison reached out towards her. “Rey, you need—”

“I don’t  _ need _ to do anything,” she seethed. “Get out of my house.  _ Now.” _

As the last word was spoken, the glass mirror behind Mack cracked and pieces of it shattered to the ground. The others froze for a fraction of a second before wordlessly walking out of the room and then out of the house. Mack watched them, knowing that calling for his peers was useless as their minds were empty of anything but the desire to obey the light exemplar.

“Rey, stop,” a voice said quietly and she looked over at Caserian. His eyes were beseeching as he watched her. “Can’t you feel him?”

Her breathing shuttered in her chest.  _ Yes _ . . . she felt him. Kylo was still conducting the interview with Karrie, but he was on the verge of coming for her then. As important as his interview with Karrie was, he would leave if she needed him. He waited for her to either calm herself or be pulled further into the darkness.

_ I’m fine. _

He didn’t respond in words, but she felt him ease—felt him refocus on the task before him. Rey pushed down the feeling of disgust at having to reassure the supreme shitlord of anything. What she did was none of his business anyway.

Poe came over to stand next to her and his arm came around her shoulder. She sagged into him, her head coming to fall onto his shoulder.

Mack stayed only long enough to say a few parting words. “Rey, I’m leaving tonight, but I’ll be back in the morning to go over a few things, alright?”

She didn’t respond, and instead her eyes fell closed, blocking him out. The liaison left and only Poe, ‘87, and Caserian remained. She let go of Poe and sat back down on the sofa, her knees coming up beneath her chin.

FN-2187 quickly sat down beside her. “I know you’re in pain, but I promise . . . things will get better.”

Poe wrapped his hand around ‘87’s wrist and pulled the former stormtrooper up and away from her. “You aren’t in any position to make any kind of promises, especially not to her.”

‘87 shook his head. “Kylo Ren is not the man you think he is.”

“I don’t care if he kisses fucking orphan kittens in his spare time. That bastard can just keep the hell away from her, FN—” Poe cut himself off. “I’m not calling you that ridiculous number. You’re not a fucking object. Finn—I’m calling you Finn.”

The ex-trooper blinked several times in silence and Rey’s eyes went wide behind her brother. “Poe . . .” she said.

“What?” he asked snappishly.

But 2187 held up his hand. “It’s fine, Rey. I—I like Finn.”

Poe looked between the pair, completely confused. Caserian continued to watch her in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, yes, I know it's been a while since I updated. I honestly just wasn't in the mood to write and I was really focused on other things. I can't promise weekly updates going forward like it used to be, but I'll try to get at least one chapter up per month. School started up again for me this week, and I already feel like I'm behind. TT_TT I'm taking calc-based physics and I think I need to go back and brush up on my calculus 1 stuff. 
> 
> Anyway, This chapter is in large part an info dump, but we had a lot of ground to cover before they leave the planet. A lot of this stuff will come into play in later chapters as Rey begins to interact with other characters and deal with situations that come with being the light exemplar and Kylo Ren's main squeeze(he wishes, anyway lol).
> 
> I'm trying to decide right now if I want to have another chapter of Rey dealing with the fallout of her discovery over the few days before she leaves or if I want to just move ahead to D-Day. As of now, it jumps ahead, but tbh, I'm absolutely fascinated by the way people act and speak in the face of something the overwhelmingly support or oppose. Something like annexation of the planet into a galactic empire would be so interesting to explore because there are so many facets and no one solution that would please everyone. I didn't include much of that in the initial draft because I was unsure if I could do that conversation justice. I'm still unsure and I think it would probably be a bit dry so I skipped most of it. Let's be honest, people hated the political talks going on the prequels, so it's prob best to ere on the side of not addressing it, but I did want you guys to know that it's something I love to think about and talk about so whenever I get a comments asking about political stuff, I love to crack my knuckles and have conversations about that. :)


	37. Chapter 37

Kylo Ren stood on the pavement of the base in front of his command shuttle. Politicians and bureaucrats stood closeby speaking to Hux and other officers on his negotiation team. He watched as several large containers were loaded onto a freighter. One of them would contain Reyna’s belongings. He wondered what kind of primitive artiface she would bring to Corellia. 

He’d been explicit in his instructions to the liaison to ensure that she knew that he would provide anything she needed from now on. Fallinger hadn’t met his eyes as his thoughts conveyed how laughable he found the sentiment to be. He also saw echoes of Reyna’s dismissive gestures. She didn’t trust anything he said, and wouldn’t for a long time to come.

The Supreme Ruler looked around the barren hardscape of the landing pad, and thought this was not the way he’d have chosen to begin remedying  _ that _ situation. The pavement was burning hot under the afternoon sun and he had to physically  _ will _ himself not to sweat in his heavy clothing and beneath the translating half-mask that he was forced to wear whenever he was on Earth. 

Such things had never been a problem before because he’s never been forced to actually  _ wait _ for anyone. He was tempted to leave—take the shuttle back up to the  _ Defender _ and allow Reyna to come in her own time, but that would only once more instill a bad impression on her. 

Kylo sighed, looking over at Hux as the man repeatedly pulled on his collar. The heat was getting to him, and he was becoming more irritable by the second. Many of the Earth politicians and officers had begun scurrying away from the ginger-haired general as his face took on a red tinge of slight burning.

Fallinger was one of the few who kept close by. The man’s thoughts were a mess of insecurities and not a small amount of back-up plans should things derail so late in the game. The liaison's face was free of expression, but Haila Ren’s teachings were not far enough along that so weak a user could hide his thoughts from the dark exemplar—especially as his aura was slowly turning from the light.

Reyna would have sensed the change, and perhaps that was yet another thing he would have to make up for. Kylo’s lips thinned at the thought. He’d done so much to get here—to get this close to her, and he wondered now if it would be worth the anger she would no doubt vent at him in the coming years.

How strong would she become after receiving access to advanced instruction from very best teachers amongst his Knights? He was already reluctantly impressed by what she’d been able to do with only Caserian by her side. 

He’d been genuinely surprised when he’d felt her presence during the interview—even more-so when his hold was broken over the reporter. He could have easily reaffirmed his control, but to do so would only antagonize the light exemplar further. The results of the interview were not entirely what he’d sought and the reception to it had been mixed, however it added enough positive good will that negotiations were still moving forward smoothly . . . well, as smoothly as they could for so primitive a planet. The fractured dissonance that pervaded the people here would no doubt test Hux’s patience, and Kylo made a mental note to prepare a gift of Corellian wine to the general. 

Some of these humans fell over themselves for what they thought was eternal life, others—the ones in the distance waving around signs at this very moment—thought he and his people to be some unnatural force for evil. The moniker of ‘dark exemplar’ had a strange effect on the people here. They associated it with evil, rather than with the true meaning, which was merely one other aspect of life itself beyond the light.

He could hear many of them chanting things that meant nothing to him while cameras rolled and the day made into a spectacle—the kind of thing that he knew Reyna prefered to avoid. The day’s goings-on were all the more compounded by the recordings of their . . . encounter. 

Neither of them had been in their finest form that night, but the onslaught of interest had pushed her into hiding ever since. She was not someone who sought fame, but rather a comfortable life for herself and her loved ones. The memories and information he’d pulled from 2187’s mind, the twi’lek’s mind, even Fallinger told a story of a woman who tried to run, but was still pushed over the edge anyway. 

While many of the earth humans believed the video to be some kind of hoax, interest was high in Rey and her connection with the ruler of a galactic empire. He knew she’d been unable to leave her home without an escort—that humans had come from all over the world to get a glimpse of her before she left the planet, perhaps to never return again. 

“She’s not happy—with any of this,” 2187 had said only a few days ago as they watched the feed coming from the surface. The ex-trooper had stayed with her for almost a day after the debacle in Washington before returning to Kylo. 

He’d had to stop himself from delving into ‘87’s mind.

Still, the other man had been forthcoming with details of Reyna’s state of mind as well as her reaction to the storm of publicity that had exploded around her. Within hours of her arrival back at her home, crowds of thousands had surrounded the gated community the exemplar resided in.

“It will not get any easier for her,” he’d said in response, his eyes taking in the screaming people, waving signs proclaiming that the end of humanity had arrived and that he, the Supreme Ruler, was something called the Anti-Christ and Reyna was an agent of their doom.

She would need to get used to such circumstances though, going forward as the light exemplar and perhaps one day his co-ruler. He was eager to get the process underway, and more than ready to resume his duties and be well away from this little backwater planet. Corellia had been too long without his presence, no doubt his own bureaucrats were attempting to pass all manner of legislation without his knowledge.

“Is this really alright?” 

Kylo looked off to the side at the other human woman who would be making the journey with them. The doctor that Londra had taken without permission. 

“Everything is as it is meant to be, Marina. Do not worry,” Londra said in response and Kylo resisted the urge to roll his eyes towards the sky.

The Knight picked up on his irritation and looked away from the woman, his head bowed in submission. Even so, he stood close to her, glowering at any that approached. Few dared, and Kylo shook his head as he sensed the thin threads of fear and confusion that permeated through the humans surrounding them. Londra’s pupil-less white eyes were unnerving to them as they could never tell where the towering green ‘alien’ was looking. For them, Londra was truly their first interaction with a species other than human.

The Knight had only been meant to tap into her mind, gain any useful information about Reyna’s trip and then leave. Instead, he’d taken her from the planet and hoarded her away in a private lab aboard the  _ Defender. _ Londra had given her access to the ship’s computers and she was currently working on building a comparable database of species. It would ostensibly be used in the new educational systems that would need to be installed in all places of learning on Earth should annexation be accepted. It would take her years—if not decades—to complete such a feat.

_ Something Londra would have known when he set her to the task, _ Kylo thought acidly. Hux had had to work overtime to deescalate  _ that _ situation, but for now she had received permission from her employers to take an extended leave of absence to work on the database. 

Yet another thing Reyna would no doubt glare at him over . . .

Kylo’s rapidly souring mood was interrupted as he felt the presence of Haila. She had lingered closeby, invisible for those not touched by the force. The Knight seemingly materialized from thin air beside the liaison, causing the other humans to step back at the sight of her. She ignored them and instead turned towards Fallinger. He blinked at her as she tilted her head and Kylo was aware that some sort of private conversation was taking place, but he didn’t care enough to try and listen in.

Unlike Londra and many of the other Knights, she was hardly ever without her full mask—especially on this planet where her appearance was likely to make the natives nervous. As it was, Perhaps he’d given Haila too much leeway with the human. She had already received permission to stay behind with the other representatives, but he had no intention of acquiescing to her request to take the liaison off-planet any time soon. 

Kylo let his eyes move over the suited man—he far too slick to be allowed near the capital . . . or Reyna. No, the liaison was better left on Earth to advance the Empire’s interests. These backwater humans were too suspicious and greedy to be make this decision unguided.

Fallinger nodded at her, but still said nothing—not until he finally turned to face the Supreme Ruler. “Sir, I know that Re—” Kylo’s eye twitched as a single brow rose. “—Miss Gillespie finding out was ahead of schedule—”

The dark exemplar raised a brow. “I do not lay any blame for that on you. It was my decision to seek her out,” he said placidly.

The liaison seemed to sag in relief. “Oh, that is—I’m glad to hear that—”

Kylo let out a snort as his lips curved up on one side. “You will have what I promised— _ after _ the annexation.”

Fallinger hesitated. “That could take _ years _ .” 

Kylo would have responded except that was the exact moment he felt her.

Reyna had finally arrived. 

The caravan of military vehicles driving across the landing pad was not what he wanted for her when she left her planet. It reminded him far too much of the first time they’d met. Everyone waiting by his shuttle was silent as the automobile that carried her came to a stop. Haila stepped back and vanished as though she’d never been there at all. 

Reyna stepped out without much fanfare, save for the dull roar of voices coming from the distance beyond the fencing. They all watched her, even as she seemingly ignored everyone around her. Another man stepped out of the vehicle behind her—dark hair and eyes. Handsome.

The man in the photo with her from the tablet.

Kylo felt his fingernails digging into his palms as the man’s arm came around her shoulders. He felt the poisonous gaze of the human, and a year ago, he’d have killed the man where he stood for looking at him in such a way. When he’d extended the offer for her to bring a retinue, he’d thought she would bring one or two  _ female _ friends such as Londra’s doctor.

As it was he turned back to FN-2187 and he hissed out, “Who the  _ hell  _ is _ that?” _

The ex-trooper leaned forward. “Poe Dameron. Pilot for the American military and Rey’s older brother.”

Kylo blinked, his gaze moving away from 2187 to meet Londra’s. The Knight nodded in agreement with the officer’s words, and more information seeped into his mind as he connected with both Londra and Haila. 

Haila especially had had her eyes on the brother for some time, assessing whether he was a threat to the Supreme Ruler’s interests . . . Kylo’s head tilted as a bit of nothing—barely a thought caught his attention. Not a romantic partner but a problem nonetheless. 

He turned back to ‘87. “When we return to Corellia, keep him occupied.”

2187 blinked up at him. “Sir, I—”

Kylo waved away the protests. “He is interested in you—sexually. As you are in him . . . Lieutenant  _ Finn.” _

The former ‘trooper flushed. “As you wish.”

2187 left his side then and approached the exemplar and her brother, holding his hand out in the customary Earth fashion. Dameron shook it, his expression grave even as he caved to the niceties of polite society. Reyna met his eyes for a fraction of a second before looking away to speak to one of the bureaucrats that had come to surround her.

The Supreme Ruler turned back to Fallinger. “General Hux will be staying behind to represent the empire for a short time and he will assist you. . . This planet must be annexed as soon as possible, and I feel as though with the proper motivation, you can hasten the process. Unless you were overstating your influence.”

The liaison was quick with his reassurances. “I assure you, Supreme Ruler, I can and will do my utmost to ensure annexation.” Fallinger wanted annexation perhaps more than anyone else and Kylo had no problem exploiting that. He would not let this planet fall into the hands of his enemies and be used against him.

But there was desperation there as well—the kind that irritated Kylo. A selfish want for eternity, a belief that he was deserving of privilege that belonged only to Imperial citizens. His eyes narrowed in boredom. “It’s only a few years. Once you receive the injection, they will mean nothing.”

Londra’s new companion had approached Reyna as well and the two women embraced, speaking to one another quietly while Londra looked anywhere but at the pair. The Falleen male would be doing his best to keep her attention off him for the time being. He did not even partake in the customary greetings of the Force-users. But then, he’d probably realized that kidnapping the light exemplar’s close friend was perhaps not the greatest of first introductions.

Kylo returned his attention to Fallinger as the man nodded almost imperceptibly. “Yes, Supreme Ruler.”

Reyna’s steps had been slow as she approached, and he was able to feel her hesitation. There was a faint thread of fear there as well, a sense of paranoia that permeated her very being. He recognized it from the night of their last meeting. He despised this feeling—hated that she was experiencing it, but only time would ease her pain. 

Reyna was not looking at him—would not meet his eyes, but all too soon she was before him. The man beside her, Dameron, glared at him and Kylo almost absently reached out for his mind, intent on neutralizing the threat . . .

. . . only to be met with a wall.

His eyes snapped to Reyna and now  _ she _ was glaring at him. Kylo swallowed absently, pulling his power back. The man did not seem to have noticed the exchange, and the Supreme Ruler carefully kept his anger from showing on his face. 

“Hello Reyna,” he said finally after the silence became nearly awkward. His hands came up in the greeting of the Force users. He held the position and she looked at his open palms for a few seconds, before half-heartedly returning the gesture. It was a clumsy mimic—obviously not something she’d done often, but it was enough. Around them, the breath that the other people had apparently been holding was released as the meeting seemed to not be headed towards a confrontational end.

“Kylo," she said awkwardly as if unsure what exactly to call him, but the Supreme Ruler found he liked just the sound of her voice saying his name so he didn’t correct her. He would have held out a hand to her if he’d thought she would take it. As it was he gestured for her to board the ship. She sighed before making her way past him and up the ramp. He was about to follow her but she suddenly froze, her body coming to a stop and he blinked up at her still form.

“What’s wrong?” Dameron asked quietly but she shook her head.

“Just a second,” she said as she turned around and for a brief second, he felt her reaching out . . . towards him? He let a bit of his power unfurl, hoping to embrace her, but no . . . No, she searched for someone else. Her eyes were beyond him and Kylo whirled around to see Caserian standing only a few meters away. She walked past him, leaving Dameron alone on the ramp and the others around them were silent as she came to a stop in front of the former Knight.

“Come on, Cas. It’s time to go.”

Rey held out her hand and time stood still. Kylo couldn’t see the light exemplar’s expression, but he somehow knew she was smiling at his former apprentice. An unfamiliar feeling began to swirl within him. Caserian looked at her outstretched finger before looking back up past her and towards his former master. Kylo met his gaze squarely—daring him to take her hand . . . daring him  _ not _ to.

It was what Kylo had wanted—what he’d  _ planned. _ He would have Reyna and Caserian would return with her, but it was then that he felt a sliver of trepidation, as though this decision would be one that would end in tragedy.

As quickly as the thought flitted through his mind, he shook it away. No . . . his apprentice would never betray him.

Caserian blinked one more time before reaching out and sliding his hand into hers. She turned, her eyes ahead of her and she walked past Kylo as though he was not even there, leading the younger man behind her. 

Kylo’s gaze followed her as she rejoined Dameron and the two men walked with her into the darkness of his ship, disappearing from sight. The Supreme Ruler cast one more glance at Fallinger before beginning his own ascent up into the ship. Londra would be accompanying his doctor to finish collecting her things and then joining them shortly. 

In the end, there was little fanfare and few people around them. And while there were cameras in the distance it was not the blinding flashes of the night he’d taken her the first time. Kylo grimaced at his own actions. He had no one but himself to blame for his current set of problems. He’d bring the artist back to Corellia for the official announcements, and then perhaps retire for that vacation he’d been wanting. 

His summer palace was complete and ready for guests. She’d love it there, he was sure, and he’d have anything she needed brought to her. That she was loathed to be in his presence hurt in a way that he hadn’t felt in centuries . . . but he had centuries to make up for his mistakes. And if not . . . The summer palace was an isolated fortress and would keep her safe from his enemies. He could perhaps send her there and she could paint to her heart’s content while he carried on as the Supreme Ruler and took care of his duties, visiting her occasionally to renew their connection.

He’d already taken steps to ensure that her life from now on would be one of pampered leisure and luxury. It was a shallow effort but one that would at least lay the foundation for working relationship between them. The doors closed behind them as they boarded and Kylo’s gaze inadvertently followed her. Her hair was down and it went past her shoulders in soft waves. She wore a pair of blue trousers with a dark thin knit top and a beige coat.

Caserian, as usual, was a void standing behind Reyna, his gaze towards the ground, but Dameron, despite Rey’s mental protection, was an open book and irritation wafted off him in waves. The Supreme Ruler met the eyes of the other man. Reyna’s powers were far from developed and she would not always be around the pilot. How easy it would be to twist the man’s mind until he gave up these angry thoughts. 

The Supreme Ruler felt his lips twist as he looked away. No . . . there was always the possibility that Kylo would eventually teach Rey the more elaborate mind tricks and she’d notice something amiss. Poe Dameron was not worth the aggravation he’d have to deal with later.

Kylo looked back over at her. She no longer carried a horrified expression but her eyes had dimmed and she seemed not to be all there either. Her gaze never strayed from the floor but he could feel her mind spinning. 

_ She didn’t like this ship. _

It occurred to him then that perhaps having her fly up to the  _ Defender _ aboard this particular vessel might not have been his most enlightened decision. Her thoughts were shuttered from him and wading through them was like trudging through molasses. Kylo pulled away from her mind and looked around. This ship had been his personal vessel for over a decade and while he was not sentimentally attached to it, it had served him well. He’d have it repurposed for some other use, perhaps gift it to one of his generals and have something different built for her. Something bright and beautiful.

The pilot’s voice sounded through the ship. “Arriving aboard the  _ Defender.” _

Rey said nothing but Poe held onto her tighter and his hand came down to the handle on the bulkhead as they landed in the hangar. As much as Kylo wished to accompany her every step of the way through the ship, she would be far from receptive to him at this time—not when things were still so fresh and Dameron’s overbearing judgement hung over them like a storm cloud. He’d speak to her later . . . alone and undisturbed.

As soon as the ship touched down, Kylo pulled the dark half mask from his face and turned to Finn.

“Take the artist and her brother to their quarters and make sure he gets the injections.”

The lieutenant nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Kylo allowed his eyes to move back to Caserian, pushing his will on the younger man and forcing his eyes to meet the Supreme Ruler’s. 

_ Come with me. Now. _

Caserian gritted his teeth but Kylo felt his acquiescence and so the dark exemplar disembarked first and walked away, ignoring the bowing that surrounded him.

 

* * *

 

Rey watched him leave in a swirl of his dark flowing cape, officers scurrying around him as he went. Here she was again, back where she’d almost died more than a year ago . . . and it seemed not much had changed. Rey shook her head, unsurprised that he’d ditched her the first chance he got. It was him M.O. afterall. 

She turned and eyed Caserian. His jaw clenched in uncertainty. “Go on,” she said softly. “Go talk to him.”

He looked up, unsurprised. “I won’t be far,” he murmured before walking out of the ship, his back straightening and his head held high. Rey followed a few paces behind, coming to a stop just outside the ship. 

She watched the former Knight move smoothly through the throngs of soldiers and officers that swarmed the deck. The parted for him, many obviously recognizing a Knight even if they had never seen Caserian himself. The bowed their heads in deference much like with the Supreme Ruler. Rey felt a bit surprised at this. Usually he hid his presence, but for now at least, he made no effort to blend. 

As he left her sight, she couldn’t help allowing her gaze to move to Poe, but he was looking anywhere but at her—actually most of his attention was squarely placed on the rows of TIE fighters that lined the walls.

Finn spoke up then. “If you’ll come this way, we’ll get Mr. Dameron his injections.”

Poe’s attention instantly shifted from the ships back to the lieutenant. “What injections?” he asked before understanding dawned on him and he turned towards Rey.  _ “Those _ injections?”

She smiled. “Yeah.  _ Those _ injections . . .” Rey trailed off, unsure. “If you want them, I mean.” 

Poe suddenly looked sad. “I have to get them right? I can’t go with you if I don’t have them.” He looked around the crowded hangar. “I could have already caught something even now, right?”

Rey bit her lip before nodding. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think—”

“It’s okay. I want them. I’m not letting you go it alone—not again.” He took her hand as she nodded.

Finn began heading towards the shuttle doors, gesturing for them to follow. “Come this way. I’ll take you to the medbay.”

Rey took a breath as they finally left the shuttle and came out into the hangar. She’d never really seen the inside of an imperial ship. She’d been unconscious the last time, and the vague flashes of memory did little justice to the sheer breadth of the massive hanger bay. Stormtroopers and pilots moved around, giving the small group a wide berth and Rey smiled as Poe looked the TIE fighters and interceptors with something akin to greed. Her own well-used freighter was sitting off to the side. It stood out in stark contrast to the sleek ships of the empire. She actually still hadn’t been able to take Poe up in her ship, yet.

The eventually left the cavernous hanger and began making their way down the long corridors of the ship. Tiny droids and officers moved about, some recognizing her with deference, others ignoring her existence.

“Is it going to hurt?” Poe asked suddenly and Rey blinked. There were many ways to go about answering that question, but she chose the path of least resistance.

She shook her head. “No, doesn’t feel like anything, really.”

Finn shot her a look over his shoulder but she shot him her own look that said to keep his mouth shut.

“When we get to wherever we’re going, why don’t I take you flying?” she said, quickly changing the subject. 

Poe looked down at her, amusement shining on his face. “My baby sister wants to to take my flying. We really are in an alternate reality.”

“Hey, I’m an excellent pilot!” she said, insulted.

He grinned widely. “Oh I don’t doubt it, but give me ten minutes behind the wheel of one of those things, and then we’ll be having some fun.”

Rey snorted. “More like, I’ll be tossing my cookies.”

Poe shrugged, his arm coming around her shoulder in a familiar and welcome fashion. “Don’t be jealous. I’ll be the best pilot in the galaxy by the end of the month,” he boasted.

“Sure Poe. Among the trillions of people and millions of pilots, you alone will stand at the top as the most daring and skilled pilot of them all.”

“See, now you’re getting it.”

Rey rolled her eyes and shook her head. They continued walking and Finn took them through the ship, up a lift and they eventually came to the what was apparently the medbay. The door slid open and Finn and stepped inside and went directly to the doctor. 

“I have orders from the Supreme Ruler to get this man the spectrum and translation injections,” he said, his tone more professional and stilted than Rey had ever heard it before.

“ID chip?”

The officer shook his head. “We don’t have that yet, but this is Reyna Gillespie, the light exemplar. The man is Poe Dameron, her brother. Miss Gillespie is an imperial citizen and her brother will have citizenship by the time we reach Corellia.”

“I’m not an imperial citizen,” Rey said, cutting in. Transient status provided the perks of citizenship but it was temporary.

Finn turned back to her. “You are. The paperwork was filed awhile back by the commune. You are a registered resident of Takodana and therefore a citizen of the empire.”

She hadn’t known that. Gilas had never said . . . Her eyes narrowed. “Did Kylo Ren have something to do with that?”

The officer shrugged. “He may have fast tracked the process. It will make things easier. Like this situation now. If you were not already a citizen, Mr. Dameron would not be allowed to file for a familial admission and therefore could not receive these injections.”

_ It was all so complicated, _ she thought. “Fine,” she said.

The doctor raised a brow. “Well if you all have that sorted out, I’ll need to do a full work-up and file the injection paperwork with the imperial database.”

Rey nodded and Poe went and sat down on the table. He watched as the doctor took a miniscule sample of blood and ran it through the data scanner. “Human. No genetic markers in common with any known people in the database . . .” the doctor’s eyes narrowed before he looked back at Rey. “You two have no genetic relation.”

Rey nodded. “We grew up together in foster care. He’s my foster brother.”

The doctor grimaced. “I can not file him as your brother without additional authorization.”

“What?” she asked incredulously. 

The doctor turned back to Finn. “Filing for familial admission would be fraud as they aren’t related.”

“What’s happening?” Poe asked and she remembered then that he still didn’t understand much of what was being said.

“He found out we aren’t related by blood, so . . . I don’t know,” she answered.

Finn sighed and turned to the comm panel. He picked up the headset and punched in a few keys on the panel. “Sir, there is a bit of a situation with the injections . . . Miss Gillespie and Mr. Dameron are not related by blood . . . I know, sir . . . Yes, sir.” He pulled the headset off and handed it to the doctor. “Lord Ren wishes to speak with you.”

The man’s eyes widened as he took the headset with trembling fingers. “Sir, I—” there was a long pause as he listened to whatever was being said before he finally responded in a small voice. “Yes, sir.”

He took off the headset and didn’t say another word as he moved around the bay gathering the injection tubes along with the small canisters. He finally stopped beside Poe and tilted the pilot’s head to the side.

“It is common to do both at once to minimize the pain you’ll experience.”

Poe didn’t tense, but he did look up at Rey. “What did he say?” he asked, but she never got a chance to answer as the doctor injected both of the canisters into the pilot. Rey winced as her brother fell backwards onto the padded table with a yelp and a, “Ow Motherfucker!”

His hands were clenched around the injection sites and his eyes had watered. “Rey, you’re a goddamn liar!” he shouted in pain and really she felt bad for the man.

“If you weren’t such a big baby when it comes to pain, I wouldn’t have had to lie,” she said in exasperation

“Mother of unholy  _ God," _ he gritted out and Finn pulled off his half-mask.

“Can you understand me, Mr. Dameron?” he asked

“Call me Poe," he said, wincing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we've established most of our main players, but there will be old and new faces popping up soon. Rey and Kylo have this sort of armistice going on for now. She isn't actively hating on him because that would get her nowhere, but as we all know, it's gonna be a while before she can work through her issues with him.
> 
> As a result, I hope you guys don't mind other characters moving more into the light. Hux, Caserian, and Marina(along with their SOs) are going to get a bit more screen time as the story progresses and we'll see a lot of Rey and Kylo's developing relationship from their POVs. 
> 
> Imma be honest with you guys--I'm so excited for the Hux/Phasma storyline to kick in. It's been my favorite thing to write about in this story lately. It' is called Backwater GirlSSSSS for a reason. ;P


	38. Chapter 38

“These are your rooms Mr. . . Uh Poe,” Finn said as the door slid open. They stepped inside and Rey instantly spotted one of Poe’s suitcases sitting at the foot of the bed. Finn’s thoughts were open to her—more so than they ever had been before. Kylo Ren had clearly conditioned FN— _ Finn’s  _ mind to accept the presence of Force-users. 

These were apparently Hux’s quarters whenever he was aboard, the most well appointed set of rooms on the ship aside from the ones belonging to the Supreme Ruler and . . .  and Rey. The design was minimalist but with a flair for military-related antiques. Bare metal walls only giving way to primitive weaponry and preserved maps of unknown continents from unknown worlds.

“Poe,” Finn said, catching their attention. “We have several simulators for our TIE fighters aboard. You’ll need to pass certification in a simulator before they let you pilot one.”

Her brother was instantly interested and Rey blinked slightly. Finn was . . . He was trying to keep her brother entertained. She thought of saying something, but then Poe would possibly miss out on something he clearly wished to do.

So Rey said nothing when he looked her way. She nodded and gave a slight smile. “Go ahead. I’m tired anyway. I think I’ll catch a nap,” she said. 

“Your quarters are just at the end of the corridor. Do you want me to show you?” Finn asked, but Rey shook her head.

“I think I can figure it out. You two go have fun.”

“The Supreme Ruler asked that you dine with him at six pm.”

“Sure," she said absently over her shoulder as she walked out of the room. The doors shut behind her and she was alone for the first time in a while. The hallways was empty and quiet but for the low humming of the engines. She took a slow breath before turning and walking down the hall. 

No one had told her that Kylo’s wing was at the other end of the corridor, but she was keenly aware of both his and Caserian’s presence there. They had blocked her from their minds but their presences were noticeable all the same. 

The pair of them had so much baggage that she was unsure of the outcome of any extended conversation between them. They’d tried to kill each other not even a week ago, and she’d felt the thread of anger in Kylo when she’d held her hand out to Cas. 

Her lips twisted when she thought back to the . . . the jealousy she’d felt coming from the Supreme Ruler—and that was a thought she wasn’t touching with a ten foot pole, Rey decided.

She waved her hand over the lock by the door and it slid open. She stepped inside and the lights came on around her revealing her quarters. Rey blinked several times at the stark difference between this room and every other room she’d seen on the ship.

Her jaw dropped open at the sight of many of her own things from her home on Earth as well as Takodana. Lavenders and indigo with touches of silver and gold made up the color pallet of her quarters. She walked towards the wall as the lights in the room grew brighter, showing that what she saw was not her imagination.

Rey let a single finger slide down the barely visible pattern of flowers etched into the walls. She was surrounded by a field of purple flowers and her breath was a shuddering thing as she realized exactly what it was that she was looking at.

_ How did he know? _ she wondered.  _ Why did he care? _

Anxiety crept up in her mind, but she hastily shoved it back. Finn had no doubt showed her old apartment to the Supreme Ruler and he was merely trying to make her feel comfortable. There was nothing nefarious or underhanded. Finn wouldn’t let her walk into something like that.

The large duraplast viewport took up much of the opposite wall, giving her beautiful view of the swirling blue and white light of hyperspace. She imagined it would be a stunning sight if they were orbiting a planet.

Rey moved towards the bed, running her hand over the plush comforter before moving on to an open doorway. There was a ‘fresher at the far end of the small room and she smiled at the familiar, if not overly lavish, sight. 

While Rey enjoyed showers involving water on Earth, there was something to be said for that squeaky clean feeling one got from a ‘fresher; as if not a single cell of bacteria remained. Six pm by imperial time was only around an hour away so it wouldn’t be a big deal to take a quick ‘fresh and get dressed again.

She stripped down and left her clothes on the bed before walking back into the bathroom and stepping into the duraplast stall. Rey stood there with her eyes closed for a few minutes while the ‘fresher did its work and after the soft ‘bing’ she opened her eyes and stepped out again.

Her hair seemed far more lustrous now that any dirt and oil that had accumulated had been removed and even her skin seemed clearer. Task done, she went back into her bedroom and blinked.

Her clothes were gone.

She used her hands to cover herself and looked around frantically for signs of anyone around. The room was just as silent and still as it had been before.  _ What the hell? _

“Hello?” she asked into the emptiness, not really expecting an answer.

“Yes, madam?” a modulated voice asked and Rey jumped nearly a foot into the air as a droid unit stepped out of a side panel and looked at her.

“Oh my god," she said as she dropped her hands, uncaring of her nakedness in front of the machine. She pointed towards the droid. “Did you take my clothes?”

The droid inclined its head. “Yes, they have been removed and deposited into the laundry chute.”

“I was going to wear them again.”

If the droid could have blinked in confusion, it would have. “You used the refresher. That implies a need to become clean. Why would you wear the same clothes as before?” the droid asked.

It was a fair point. “Fine. Nevermind. Where are the rest of my clothes?”

“In storage.”

Rey looked around and sure enough, none of her suitcases were in the room. “Storage? Why? What am I supposed to wear?”

“Your clothes.”

Rey tilted her head and jutted out her jaw in agitation. “Which clothes?” she gritted out.

“The ones here, madam.”

The droid rolled over and hit a button that opened another hidden panel. It slid open and Rey felt all color drain from her face as the side room lit up and she was faced with her own small slice of hell.

 

* * *

 

Kylo stood in his private observatory, watching as Londra’s ship flew towards the  _ Defender. _ The room was quiet, but he was hardly alone.

“What do you want?”

Kylo turned away from the viewport and looked back at the young former Knight. “You don’t think we should discuss your continued presence on my ship—around my exemplar?”

Caserian snorted derisively and his eyes were anywhere but on the Supreme Ruler. “I think you knew this was going to happen and I stepped right into your trap,” he said tiredly. 

Kylo pursed his lips. “I was hardly going to leave you on that backwater world—We already confiscated your ship and you had no way off except with me.”

Caserian shook his head in exasperation. “What . . .  _ do you want?” _ he asked again as the ship trembled and the darkness of space transformed into the neon blue and white of hyperspace.

Kylo’s outward expression was one of tranquility, but inside . . . Inside he knew that this conversation was very important to their future—to the future that he’d so carefully planned for. “I won’t ask you to rejoin the Knights, Caserian, but you will be returning to Coronet with us. You will be occupying a place in my palace, staying by Reyna’s side. None of these things come for free—not for someone who threw my goodwill back in my face time and again.”

Caserian’s eyes finally met his, and Kylo mentally congratulated the younger man on growing out of his tendency to lash out, even as his anger threatened to boil over beneath the surface of his mind.

Still, Kylo spoke as though nothing was amiss. “Reyna will be taking instruction from other Knights. She has learned much from you, but your training was incomplete even before you left.”

Caserian’s shoulders sagged the slightest bit. Kylo didn’t exactly enjoy throwing his former protege’s shortcomings in his face, but the reality was that Reyna, while powerful, was unfocused. Kylo would move planets to protect her, but with the way the war was going—the attempted assassination—she would need to learn to protect herself rather than relying on others.

“You will complete your training with Londra,” he said. The former Knight made a disgusted noise but Kylo didn’t allow him to respond further. “You want to protect her? You want to stay by her side? You need to prove you can handle the responsibility. I have a hundred Knights more powerful than you that would be better suited to being Reyna’s companion.”

Caserian was about to respond when they both felt it—their heads swiveling towards the back of the ship. The entire vessel trembled and lurched as it fell out of hyperspace and alarms sounded through the room.

“She’s . . .” Caserian began but Kylo had already begun moving towards the door. At first, Kylo’s stride was a brisk walk—his centuries of ruling had never included anything as plebeian as running—but as the ship jerked again beneath his feet, he felt his pace pick up and then suddenly he was tossing officers and soldiers from his path long before he passed them.

Finn and Dameron were already outside her door when he arrived, the pair of them unable to go any farther because of the rippling energy in her quarters.

“What the hell is going on?” Dameron asked, his eyes riveted on the cracking charge of the Force as it threatened to tear the  _ entire ship _ apart. 

He was about to respond, but he felt a sudden weightlessness and his eyes widened as the others seemed to lift from the ground.

“Are the gravity simulators malfunctioning?” Finn asked, pulling himself down a wall in the direction of a comm panel to report the outage.

“No. They’re still working,” Caserian said, his eyes on the churning field of energy. Kylo also took in the ephemeral manifestation of the Force. It shimmered with a golden light that cast subtle rainbows on the area beyond. He was nearly entranced by its beauty, and so he didn’t notice Caserian reaching out to touch it—not until the younger man’s hand snapped back and he let out a sharp breath in pain. Kylo examined the singed skin dispassionately before looking within Reyna’s quarters. 

“Something upset her,” he said, his expression twisting as the other men shot him accusatory looks. The Supreme Ruler felt his jaw clench as he stepped forward into the energy field. It felt as though a hundred tiny knives were stabbing him all over his body, but he reached out for her nonetheless, threaded his energy with hers. It recognized him, even as her mind rebelled against the idea.

While the corridor beyond her quarters shone brightly with the light of her power . . . the inside was darkened and quiet as though a shroud had been pulled over everything. Just as it had been outside, anything not attached to the the ship was floating placidly around the room. The droid that had been installed was offline and hung in the air like a morbid metal puppet before him. He gritted his teeth, pushing it aside as the pain eased, and he looked towards the one source of light. The closet.

He’d anticipated a reaction, of course, but nothing quite so . . . showy. Kylo stepped into the small side room, and his eyes narrowed as he spotted her sitting on the ground. Shredded strips of golden fabric surrounded her, her nails still digging into the gown he’d thought the most beautiful—the one he’d chosen for her to see first.

She looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot and glassy. “How could you?”

He needed to get the situation under control. “How could I what?”

Rey shook her head forcefully. “You forced Kord into making these—these clothes and then have the nerve to  _ give them to me?” _

Kylo was silent as he digested her words—and the ramifications. He’d made a mistake. Reyna had obviously met Kord at some point after he’d put the seal on her mind. He’d known it was a possibility when she’d left Earth, but the twi’lek had never mentioned anything in her reports and so he hadn’t planned to . . . to have to explain himself—not yet anyway. 

But this was fixable. He hadn’t  _ killed _ the purple sentient, afterall.

Kylo continued to eye her for a moment in silence before speaking. “What is it that you think I ordered Kord Mondrechia to do?”

She shook her head belligerently. “You told her to make clothes for your precious exemplar! And you drove her insane to do it!”

The Force pushed on him, forcing him back a step. He clenched his fists, nostrils flaring as did his own pushing. Reyna reared back, the scraps of fabric in her hand disintegrating. She glared at him, but didn’t move as he took a step forward, coming closer to her. Her eyes twitched in fury, however she did not try to push him again. 

He eventually came to a stop before crouching down so their eyes were level. There were wet tracks below her eyes and her skin was blotched with red, but she was still so beautiful. He wanted to reach out to her—touch her and connect with her—but that would only incite her further. In the end, he could only be honest with her.

_ “No, Reyna,” _ he began softly. “You call this my gift to you, but it’s not. It’s  _ hers. _ When I placed the seal inside her mind I told her to craft a tribute worthy of  _ you.” _

Kylo looked down at what was left of the destroyed gown, his gloved fingers moving lightly over the tattered fabric. “This is not how I see you. This is how  _ she _ sees you. This masterpiece that you flung to the ground is what she believes you to be.”

Rey shook her head as she looked at the crumpled up pile of golden fabric. “No,” she said. “No. That’s not true!”

The Supreme Ruler grasped onto the textile, lifting it up, examining the remains of the intricate embroidery that would have taken the twi’lek weeks to complete. He could not stop the way his mind flitted back to that day, Kord Mondrechia’s head held tightly between his hands and her pupils blown wide as he spoke. 

_ Make anything . . . make whatever you desire . . . make it worthy of the one you love the most in this life and when you are done—when you have no more of yourself to give . . . she will know you. _

Rey’s eyes glazed over and her jaw dropped open as she witnessed the scene and his words. She made a small sound of agony, but he did not dare to try and touch her. Violence would be her only answer to his comfort.

“She’s in love with you—But you’ve always known that. You took her love for granted and you ignored it.” He paused and Rey was shaking her head again in denial, but Kylo pressed on. “I gave her the ability—the  _ will _ to finally gift you with her feelings—to show you that the way you see yourself is not how others see you. You’ll never love her the way she wants you too—you’re incapable of it. You know it and she knows it, but her magnum opus, her  _ muse _ is the light exemplar.”

He felt something within her shatter—fall so completely apart that her mind was a white void. Her shoulder sagged and her breathing slowed. He hated seeing her this way, but perhaps she was closer to understanding his intentions towards her—the effect she had on those around her . . . himself included.

Reyna looked up at him, the glassiness fading from her eyes. She was in such pain, but her body had no way of expressing just how broken she truly was. She sensed his thoughts then and looked away. Her defenses had been low and he hadn’t been able to resist connecting with her even further. She felt his mind, his thoughts, and she was hurt by them.

Her hands trembled as she gathered the torn material to her chest, holding it tightly. “Why are you doing this to me?” she whispered.

Kylo kept her expression carefully neutral in the face of her pain. “Why wouldn’t I? I’ve waited so long for you. How could I not show my devotion to you? How could I hide what you are? Even when it hurts you, I will always give you the truth.”

“I don’t want it,” she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. There were suddenly several crashes behind him as the field dissipated and the energy holding things and people into the air was dispersed.

Kylo stood back up, turning his back to her. “The life of the exemplar can be painful, Reyna, but it can also be one of true contentment, if you only allow it.”

She didn’t respond and so he said nothing more as he walked out of the room. Finn and Poe rushed inside as soon as he opened the door, but Caserian remained in the hall, glaring at him. The Supreme Ruler ignored the younger man, sweeping past the former Knight and making his way towards the bridge. The ship would not return to hyperspace until the bridge crew received the all-clear to initiate the hyperdrive.

He kept his face expressionless, but seeing her there, crying on the floor . . . had been difficult. He wanted nothing more than to pull her to him, to ease her pain and be the man she could love.

But his advances would be far from welcome . . . for now. Kylo walked silently down the corridor and contemplated ignoring the brooding young man following him, but Caserian was unlikely to allow that. Children rarely responded well to inattention.

The former apprentice sped up his pace and put a hand on Kylo’s shoulder, stopping him. He’s no doubt picked up on Kylo’s thoughts and the Supreme Ruler smiled. 

“You’re manipulating her.”

He allowed a small smile to pull over his features. “Manipulation implies an ulterior motive. My intentions towards my light exemplar have never wavered. I seem to recall you even asking if she would be like a mother.”

Caserian’s fists clenched by his side. It was a low blow and Reyna was hardly mother material to a man who had been alive for over a century before her birth. But Caserian had been young at the time—timid and hopeful. So unlike what he was now.

“You wanted a weapon you could control,” Caserian hissed out.

“I wanted a second and an heir,” Kylo snapped back even as he stepped forward. “You could still be so great, if you would give a damn about  _ anything _ but yourself.” If he’d hoped to throw Caserian off, he was—for once—bound for disappointment. 

The young man’s lips thinned and his eyes flattened. “Why would I bother when we both know what  _ you _ did to the things I cared about.”

Of all the things both great and terrible that he’d done in his life, putting that expression on Caserian’s face was perhaps Kylo’s biggest regret. His first inclination was to defend his actions—the man hadn’t been worthy of Caserian. His second was to assure the younger man that his former lover still lived . . . an eternally low ranking officer, but alive nonetheless. Even in his madness, Kylo had recognized that if he’d actually carried out any of his less than veiled threats against Commander Stajin, he’d have never seen Caserian again.

As it was, he’d not forgotten about the center point of many of their last arguments a decade ago. The demoted and shamed officer who’d once been a general in the galactic fleet reduced to a lowly commander—No, Kylo had thought about him quite often as of late.

Caserian took in his silence, a disappointed smile on his face as he understood exactly why Kylo said nothing. “You’re no different than you were before,” the former Knight breathed out softly. “I’d hoped that you would have changed. Everyone always told me not to blame you for what you did—that you were sick with the madness of the exemplar, but that’s not really true, is it? You’re just the same as you were—you’re just better at hiding it now.”

Kylo felt his brow furrow. “That is not true—”

Caserian cut him off. “Of course it is, You say your words softly—choose them carefully—as though you care, but your intent has not changed. You left her just now just like you left her before—how long before you drive me away again?”

Kylo wanted to rage at the younger man—tell him that he was still a child—that he could not possibly understand what was at stake. But as he looked over Caserian, he could not help but realize that at some point, Caserian had become someone else. The former Knight’s aging had slowed earlier than most—his appearance nearly unchanged since his seventeenth year. He’d treated Caserian no differently since that year, despite his being nearly two centuries in age. 

Kylo tilted his head and looked over his former apprentice consideringly. “I did not intend to push you away, Caserian. I have always wanted only the best for you.”

“What  _ you _ thought was best. It was always only on your terms.”

The Supreme Ruler longed to reach out, touch Caserian’s hand or perhaps pull him into a hug . . . a gesture they’d not shared in over a century.

“I do not wish to control you, and if you do not wish to continue your training—”

“I didn’t say that.”

Kylo sighed. “Then stay close to the palace. Train with Londra or Vaidin.”

Caserian scoffed. “You think so little of me that you would have me trained by an apprentice?”

The Supreme Ruler shook his head. “Much has changed since you left. Vaidin is no longer Londra’s apprentice. She is a full Knight in her own right.”

The younger man didn’t seem impressed. “How much did she suck up to to earn that?”

Kylo raised a brow. “It was my impression that it was  _ you _ that interested her.”

Caserian looked away. “Hardly. She got close to me because I was—” Caserian bit off the last of his response but Kylo understood. 

The Supreme Ruler liked Vaidin well enough—he’d especially liked how powerful in the dark side of the Force she was. Being a void made her quite valuable to him and he’d always thought she would have made an excellent companion for Caserian had the two not had a falling out.

He shrugged. “Be that as it may. She did request to assist in your continued training when we return to Coronet. Are you sure—”

Caserian’s lips twisted. “For the last time. No.”

Kylo nodded. “As you wish.”

 

* * *

  
Rey was still on the floor holding the shredded dress when Poe and Finn shoved their way inside.

“Kord made this for me,” she said weakly. “For me . . .”

They clearly didn’t know what to say to her or how to interpret the fact that the dress was completely destroyed.

“Come on, Rey. Let’s get you off the ground.”

Rey nodded and let them help her up. She looked around the room at all the glittering gowns and felt her heart break all over again. They lead her out and Poe sat with her on the bed while Finn went and got her a glass of water. She took it gratefully, her throat suddenly feeling dust-dry. As she swallowed she couldn’t help but pick up on Poe’s worry for her, his anger at Kylo Ren.

Rey was also angry at the man—and herself, but she couldn’t let Poe think that the Supreme Ruler was the epicenter of all things evil either. Kylo Ren was . . . complicated. Perhaps as mixed up and messed up as Rey had become. Had he been like this for five centuries? Had he felt as though his sanity was being chipped and torn from him bit by bit for longer than her own people had had indoor plumbing?

“Rey?” he asked and she realized that she’d been staring at nothing for at least a few minutes as her mind pieced itself back together. 

“It’s not . . . not him,” she said finally. Her voice was soft and thoughtful. He would never lie to her—he’d said that and she hoped he was telling the truth.

Poe didn’t believe her. “What exactly happened, Rey?”

Everyone always seemed to want to know what was wrong with her. Rey remembered the days when she was the one in control—the one with all the answers and the person that others looked up to. She needed to get a goddamn grip and stop feeling sorry for herself. The rug had been pulled out from under her enough times that she should almost expect it by now. 

She took a breath and sat a back, her chin coming up. “I’m alright.”

“Rey, stuff was  _ flying around _ and you tore up that dress. You’re not ‘alright’ . . . you can talk to me, right? You know I’ve always had your back.”

She looked up at him and met his dark eyes. His arm was around her and he pulled her to his chest. Rey let herself sag a bit as her head rested on his shoulder and she felt his cheek resting on the top of her head.

“I just want it all to stop,” she said tiredly.

His fingers tightened and she heard the door to her room open and close. Finn had left, she realized. 

“It won’t always be like this,” he said. “I know you don’t feel it right now, but you’re the strongest person I know. Life hasn’t ever handed us anything, and even when I wanted to take it, you said ‘no’.” He paused for a beat and Rey felt a tinge of revulsion emanate from the direction of Poe’s thoughts. “When I wanted to kill him, you said ‘no’. That . . . that  _ man _ . . . Fallinger found him and he is still exactly where we left him, knee deep in booze and cigarettes. He tried to destroy us, but he didn’t. And Kylo Ren . . . that guy threw you out of a literal spaceship, but you made it through. You made it back home.”

She snorted, ignoring the way stomach hurt at the thought of the man whose house they’d lived in. Mack had hinted a detail here or there about Joe, but he’d obviously sensed her hesitance to even discuss her former guardian. “Fat lot of good it did me,” she said.

“But you came back to Earth,” he responded quietly.

Rey shrugged. “Because you were there.”

He pulled away far enough so that they were looking at each other and she felt his fingers cupping her cheek. He smiled. “Yeah. So a loft in the city, a house in the ’burbs, or a spaceship. I’m here with you. Finn and Marina and—and Caserian. We’re here for you.”

Rey nodded, but didn’t let go of her brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finally some answers about Kord and what happened there. The shadow of the twi'lek will be looming over them for a little while longer. Rey is just being beaten down again and again. She's rarely able to catch a break and Kylo will try to help her, but only so far as it draws her closer to him. He's sane, but he's not a nice guy, ya know? 
> 
> Just fyi, I did make a character profile page. Pretty much everyone is there except Rey and Kylo. There are some spoilers there fyi.  
> [Profile Link](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-_R0MlxQfa3UcVrMDe-sMEnJT01v8pffddccSW19jtE/edit?usp=sharing).
> 
> And I know I posted two updates within the span of like a week, but this doesn't mean that I'm back on a weekly schedule. T_T I may come out with another chapter next weekend or I may not. The next chapter is still just a bit choppy. There are new characters popping up along with older character making their appearance. Phux first meeting is next chapter as well and I want that to be perfect. I'm working my way through it. I swear I'm gonna finish this at some point.


	39. Chapter 39

Rey didn’t join Kylo for dinner that evening or the next. In the days following her break down, Rey found that she rarely left her quarters. But then, where was she supposed to go? She had little interest in the ships in the hangar like Poe did and the one time she’d gone, she’d felt a little like a third wheel as Finn introduced Poe to the TIE pilots.

He introduced her to them as well of course, but that only had the effect of increased stuttering and overly deep bowing. Some of them raised their hands up towards her in a gesture that was reminiscent of the greeting of the Force users and when she returned it, you would think Jesus Christ himself had anointed them or something.

There was only so much stilted conversation and standing off to the side that she could handle before she’d decided to keep to her quarters for the remainder of the trip. Marina and Caserian seemed to take turns keeping her company. The pair of them switched off between her and Londra. The Knight was generally found either teaching Caserian or hovering over Marina. Noth that she’d personally know this. Rey had seen little of the falleen, and Caserian had merely shrugged when she’d brought it up.

“He’s afraid that he offended you,” Caserian said.

Rey thought it over for a second. “Because of Marina?”

“He knows you are friends and that you value her. He also . . . values her and does not wish to make things difficult for either of you.”

Rey hadn’t been entirely sure what to say to that so she’d dropped it. She and Caserian communed with the Force often, feeling the others on the ship and working on her control when it came to levitating objects. She’d mastered moving small things, but there was still something wrong when it came to moving larger things.

“I can’t do it,” she said one day.

Cas had waved off her words. “Everyone thinks that at first. I did—I’m sure even Master Ky—the Supreme Ruler did at one point.”

“Yeah, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth,” she muttered.

The former Knight blinked at the statement, unsure of what she’d said but Rey shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

“You may need to work with another Knight—one who is skilled with teaching.”

“A master?”

Caserian shook his head. “No . . . truthfully, none would take you on, and risk damaging you. Kylo Ren will assign someone to teach you—or teach you himself, perhaps.”

She was about to respond when her door chimed. Rey blinked for a second in confusion before calling for the person to enter. She wasn’t expecting anyone, but she was more than happy to see Finn step inside.

“Hey,” she called as she got up. Rey couldn’t help noticing that the officer was alone—a rare occurrence these days.

“Where’s Poe?” she asked.

Finn smiled indulgently. “He’s engaged in a long range combat mission via the simulators with one of our TIE teams.”

“Sounds like Poe,” she said, gesturing for him to sit down.

Caserian hadn’t bothered getting up from his position on the floor by the viewport. He wasn’t even looking at them anymore and Rey shrugged. The former Knight wasn’t terribly sociable, but she wished he’s make a bit more effort to be be friendly.

“I was about to order dinner. You want to join me?” she asked.

Finn shook his head. “That’s actually why I’m here. The Supreme Ruler asked that I relay his request that you join him for dinner.”

She felt more than saw Caserian’s head snap to the side—looking towards them abruptly, but she ignored his questioning silence.

“I’m not sure . . .” she began, but she felt a push in her mind.

_You can not remain as you are._

Rey looked over at the former Knight, but he was looking back into the void of hyperspace. She shook her head, accepting his words but not liking it at all.

“What time?” she asked.

Finn smiled. “Seven.”

That would be well within Finn’s own shift with Kylo so at least there was that. “Fine,” she said at last.

The officer got up, taking her hand in his own and squeezing it. She felt his emotions flicker beneath the surface. He was so hopeful that she and Kylo would eventually get along, not only because it would help to bring peace to the empire, but also for Rey’s own happiness. He truly thought Kylo Ren could make her happy.

It was a disconcerting thought.

Finn left after they said their goodbyes and she escorted him to the door. She didn’t need to turn around to know that Caserian was no longer seated and sure enough, when she faced him, he stood only a few feet behind her.

“You can’t hide from him forever,” he said softly. Rey snorted a bit as she stepped around him.

Her first inclination was to respond with, _make a bet?_ but that wasn’t reality.

“I know,” she said instead, her eyes moving towards the closet that she’d yet to step foot inside again.

“You can’t hide from that either.”

Rey had made several comm calls to Kord’s ship since she’d come aboard, but being so far out from the empire, it would take a bit for the messages to reach her twi’lek friend.

“He forced her to make those clothes . . . he violated her mind,” Rey began, her mind moving back to the way Kord’s eyes had moved over the clothing as though she lived and breathed only to make them. “She was completely unhinged.”

Caserian nodded. “He has told me that the seal was taken off few days before your departure. She is undamaged.”

“Mentally or physically?”

His look told her the answer, and she shook her head in irritation. “The nanites keep us looking young and healthy, but it’s all a goddamn lie,” she snapped, walking away from him and towards the viewport.

Caserian’s hours of meditation with Londra were clearly paying off as the other man seemed entirely undisturbed. “Of course it is. It is the veneer of the Corellian Empire—but even that is better than the alternative.”

Rey wasn’t so sure.

Caserian was again by her side in a fraction of a second. “Do not think that Kylo Ren is so terrible that _other options_ become palatable.”

She raised a brow. “A few days with your former master and you’re already defending him?”

He sent her a withering look that had her turning away from him. Rey looked towards the closet, taking a hesitant step towards it.

“He did not become the Supreme Ruler by being a good man—but he is not a terrible one either,” he said from behind her

She snorted a bit, taking that last step into the closet. “Yeah? Tell that the stormtroopers that were left to rot with me on that hell ship of his.”

Caserian had nothing to say to that—which had been the point of the barb—so she moved inside and waved her hand over the display by the door. The room illuminated instantly and she pushed down the immediate thread of revulsion.

One of the droids that frequented her quarters had already cleaned away the mess of the dress that had been displayed in the center of the room. Rey felt badly that she couldn’t even really remember what the gown had looked like beyond the shining gleam of luxurious fabrics and rich beading.

She looked around at all spaced out . . . cubbies? Lockers? She’d never seen anything quite like it. All of the gowns—and there were quite a few—were hung in evenly spaced duraplast enclosures that kept them all in pristine condition.

“Which one would you like to wear?”

Rey jumped a bit, but she instantly recognized the dulcet tones of a protocol droid and sure enough, one had rolled up behind her. She wasn’t sure if it was the same ball droid that had been there the first day—that one had been damaged—but it looked identical.

“None of them,” she said.

“Your schedule shows a dinner with Supreme Ruler Kylo Ren—”

“Which I will not be attending.”

“Rey . . .” Caserian said from the doorway. “Either here with relative privacy or on Corellia in the palace.”

She could see his point, and after a moment, she turned back to droid. “I don’t care what I wear—nothing ostentatious.”

If the droid could have blinked at her, she was certain it would have. “As you wish Madam,” it said before wheeling way towards the back of the closet. There were other clothes back there—none of which were her own from Earth—that were apparently not needing quite as much preservation as the ones closer to the front.

Caserian stepped back out and shut the door behind him as Rey allowed the droid to choose whatever it wanted. Rey stripped down to her underwear and the droid cleared away her clothes, throwing them down what she assumed was a laundry chute.

“I don’t suppose there are any pants in here.”

“There are, but those are for training and exercise purposes.”

“Sure they are,” she said as she stepped into the gown. It was a white strapless number that needed a second set of hands to do up in the back. It was simple which is what she’d asked for but . . .

“It’s a bit chilly on the ship,” she said, hoping the droid would catch the hint. It looked up at her, and thankfully it nodded emphatically.

“Of course, Madam,” it said before wheeling off again and returning with a black and white patterned cloak. It helped her fasten it in place before it’s head swiveled up and down. “Madam, your hair . . .” the droid trailed off.

“What about it?” she asked, fingering the loose strands.

“Perhaps a simple updo?”

Rey resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I’m not trying to impress anyone here.”

“Be that as it may, a bit of cosmetics and a little more effort will make you appear more regal.”

Rey was beginning to think the droid was trying to subtly manipulate her. It didn’t surprise her—many droids with specific programming could use cunning to achieve their objectives. If the objective was aesthetic elevation of the ‘madam’, the droid would do anything to achieve that.

“Fine," she said, because it was better than having a sulking droid.

“Very good, madam.”

It really was a simple updo, a couple of braids worked into a low bun that was skillfully pinned into place by the droid. A little extra mascara and blush was applied just as a knock came through her door.

“Rey, they’re here,” Caserian called through the closed door.

“Thank you," she said to the droid.

“You’re most welcome," it responded before wheeling off to return to its station.

 

Rey walked back to the closet door and opened it. Caserian stood there along with an officer and she raised a brow as the former knight visibly swallowed at the sight of her.

“Where’s Finn?” she asked.

“Lieutenant FN—Finn,” he began, stumbling a bit over Finn’s new name, “is currently accompanying Mr. Dameron as he completes his phase one certification in TIE-class piloting.”

So she’d really be alone with him.

Rey sighed but didn’t back out. She felt Caserian sending her waves of encouragement as she left the room. They walked through the corridors but they didn’t have far to go before the officer stopped and opened a door to a cavernous chamber and gestured for her to enter.

It was almost dark inside, the only light coming from the swirling light of hyperspace outside the floor to ceiling duraplast windows. A smaller round table was set in the middle and she walked up to it. It was only set for two people.

“How do you like the view?”

She jumped and whirled around to find Kylo standing beside the wall, deep in the shadows.

“You just can’t stop being a creep, can you?” she said, her voice dripping with nerves and irritation.

“I like to be aware of everything going on around me.”

A droid entered the room from a side door and it began laying food out on the table.

She’d only taken her eyes off Ren for a second but it was enough for him to move closer to her. Too close.

“You look lovely this evening," he whispered from beside her.

She stepped away from him. “My options were limited.”

His head tilted even as his eyes lingered. “As the light exemplar, you hold a high rank within the empire. You can dress however you like in our home, but when you are in front of anyone besides your servants and family, you need to maintain a certain standard for your appearance.”

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” she asked as she walked away from the viewport and towards the table. The droid was just finishing and walking away. Trust Kylo Ren to act like everything was fine and conveniently ignore the things that made him look bad.

“Of all the things I’ve been called, that is perhaps one of the more polite variations.”

She looked back towards him. Had he just made a joke?

The silence between them continued to be awkward and she sighed. “You wanted to talk. So talk.”

He didn’t sigh out loud but she somehow heard the resonance of his impatience anyway. “I wanted us to spend least a few minutes alone,” he said. “We have so much ahead of us, and yet you can not stand the sight of me.”

Rey met his eyes then—so dark and placid. They reminded her of a deep lake, still and quiet, concealing the creatures lurking beneath the surface—so unlike the burning fire of hatred he’d shown her the first time they’d met.

“Don’t act like I’m the one being _unreasonable,”_ she said after a moment.

He licked his lips before speaking again. “I admit my faults and I . . . apologize.”

Rey got the feeling that he didn’t say that terribly often—so much so that he had to actually think about the word. “What are you apologizing for?” she asked with a raised brow.

He was quiet again and she could tell that he was searching his mind for the right phrases—for where to begin. He’d need a goddamn itemized list with an index and references.

“For all of it,” he said at last.

It wasn’t good enough but it was probably as good as she was going to get at this point. Rey sat down at the table and looked over the spread. She recognized some of it and was surprised at how . . . low-brow it was. Rather than a plated meal, there were bowls and plates of various foods served similarly to how they would be in a bar or home. They would serve themselves.

She also blinked at the small plate of piled up . . . chocolate. Rey reached over and picked one up, sniffing it slightly before popping it in her mouth. Chocolate and a nut butter.

“Your people sent along . . . quite a few boxes of those. More than you are likely to need for your duties—and I quite like them,” he said as he sat down across from her. Kylo also reached over and took one. It was white but had been sprayed green with orange speckles.

The awkward silence continued as the pair chewed on their sweets, the crunch of whatever was in Kylo’s echoing through the cavernous room.

“Kylo,” she said after a few minutes, a sigh in her voice. “What am I doing here? What are _we_ doing here?”

He looked at her for a long time and she could feel him choosing his words carefully. “We are exemplar. Two parts of one soul. We aren’t in love or perfect for each other, but we are meant to be with one another.”

Rey sat back, her head shaking. “I can’t—”

The Supreme Ruler cut her off. “I don’t mean romantically, but we are the balance.”

“What balance?” she asked.

Kylo’s expression was one of thoughtful contemplation. “The Force is an ephemeral thing that has no real description in any language. Its use is so limited that most do not truly comprehend its existence even as they see it used before their eyes. It encompases all things, living and dead, light and dark.”

“You’re the dark.”

His head tilted. “It’s not as simple as that. The Force, while not sentient—is aware and it longs to be in complete balance. It creates avatars to represent the two sides who will keep the other Force users in line so that one side does not become stronger than the other. You and I are those avatars and we are called the exemplar.”

That was all in line with what she’d found out over the last couple of years, but some things were still a mystery to her.

“I have memories of other exemplar, I think,” she said, thinking about all the paintings she’d created to try and channel the force of her dreams and nightmares.

He nodded. “That’s normal. The Force wishes for the us to be aware of the actions of past exemplar so that we may learn from their mistakes—or perpetuate their successes. I will teach you to hone your power as the light exemplar so that you may act as my equal.”

Rey looked at him, taking his words. An equal? He wanted an equal? He’d never made her feel like anything but a burden. It also didn’t seem terribly in character for a man who had made himself ruler of a galactic empire.

He sensed her thoughts and responded, but didn’t address them directly. “We are made for each other but we don’t know each other yet,” he said, reaching over and taking her plate. She watched him as he filled it with a bit of everything before setting it back down in front of her.

He began filling his own plate, his eyes on the offerings as he spoke again. “You are familiar with my Knights, of course—with Caserian and now Londra. There are others that you will meet soon enough that will teach you when I can not.”

“They are dark side users?”

“Some. Most walk a fine line. My . . . leanings towards the dark make it difficult to teach those more firmly entrenched in the light.”

“Like Caserian.”

Kylo looked up at her and she saw a fleeting image of a much younger boy holding two glowing red sabers.

“Caserian’s lightsabers are purple,” she said, blinking through her confusion at the idea of a darkside Caserian Ren.

“They are now,” Kylo allowed and she felt a thread of disdain in his voice. “Caserian could never accept things as they were. But the indigo sabers . . . they are usually wielded by a lightside user who has been touched by darkness.”

Rey bit back a gasp at the slicing pain she felt during Kylo’s admission. He thought it a personal insult that Caserian had sought out new kyber crystals rather than keeping the ones that Kylo had helped him find and mould.

“He still loves you, you know.”

The Supreme Ruler’s eyes slid shut. “I drove him away, just as I did with you. His lingering devotion to me is an old wound that has yet to heal. It festers within him and pains him.”

Rey didn’t know why she was . . . comforting this man but she couldn’t stop her words. “You have a second chance. Don’t mess it up this time.”

Kylo’s lips pulled into a smile. “I will endeavor to follow your wishes. In the meantime, I ask that you meet with me every day until we return to Coronet. The galaxy will be watching as you are introduced. Many Force users will be there as well and you need to strengthen your hold on your power.”

“They’ll be able to tell . . . what?” How weak she was in comparison to Kylo?

“Force users can all sense each other. Many who have turned from the Knights will be drawn to you, looking for a leader, a teacher. You need to be ready to be that for them.”

Rey nodded uncomfortably, but said nothing as they finally began eating.

  


Hux’s speech was going well—which was hardly a surprise as they _always_ did. While many claimed that Hux’s high rank was due to his relationship with the Supreme Ruler, they rarely had anything to say when it was pointed out that he’d already been general under the former regime when Kylo Ren had been little more than a pet of Snoke. Even back then, his command of language was only one of the reasons he had risen so far in the ranks. That being said, the modulated tones of the translation mask was hell on his subtle intonations and he got the impression that a few of his chosen words didn’t translate directly to the Earth language he was currently using, English.

He didn’t let himself dwell on that. He’d only be here long enough to get the ball irrevocably rolling on annexation before leaving this backwater planet. The primitive nature of these humans . . . well they made the outer rim look like Coruscant. They were still burning fossil fuels to generate power for Force sake!

He let none of this show on his face as he continued speaking and extolling the values of joining the empire. His eyes narrowed and his words trailed off as his mind suddenly blanked. His speech was interrupted . . . by _screaming_. People shouted and Hux went from standing behind the glass podium to being on the ground. He hit the carpeted floor with a great ‘oof’ and the wind was knocked from him as someone landed on top of him. That someone was large and heavy.

“Get off of me!” he snarled as his hands came up to shove the offender away.

But the person wasn’t looking at him, she was screaming orders at other security personnel and pointing towards a back exit. “The shooter headed that way! Caucasian male in dark clothes and blue baseball hat!” He saw her grimace and her other hand moved to her chest. “God _damn_ , that hurt," she said under her breath.

“Did you not hear me, _madam?_ ” he spit at her.

The woman finally met his eyes with a sneer of her own. “Oh I heard you. And now I’m telling you to shut the fuck up," she ground out as she sat back on her haunches and Hux was able to fully see her face. She was plain and wore no cosmetics, and her white blonde hair was pulled back in a severe bun. That, coupled with her pale skin, made her look almost bald. It was not flattering.

“Who do you think you are to speak to me in such a manner?” he asked from his position still flat on the floor.

“Captain Phasma Montgomery," she said as she dug something from her chest. Hux recognized it, of course. A smoking crushed weaponized projectile. His eyes narrowed as he suddenly realized what had happened.

Someone had attempted to _assassinate_ him, and this woman, this Phasma, had shoved him aside and saved his life. He looked back up at her face, but she was no longer paying any attention to him as other officers and imperial guards swarmed around her, some asking if she hurt.

The woman was still rubbing her chest where the bullet had hit but she shrugged off the questions. “I’m fine, dammit. We need to get him out of here and back to his ship. He can give the rest of his speech from there.”

His speech, he remembered as he was helped to his feet. _The speech was ruined,_ he thought as he eyed his would-be savior. She was also helped to her feet, her finger poking through the hole of her shirt where the bullet had impacted. They were standing close, and he found he needed to look up slightly. Captain Phasma still had at least three or four centimeters on him, which he found curiously irritating.

But she was a woman with a commanding presence and handled herself perfectly while literally under fire. Perhaps this planet wasn’t full of primitive backwater hicks after all. Someone like that could be useful to him—to the empire. She was directing her men to set up a perimeter and begin questioning everyone in attendance. His stormtroopers were not allowed to pursue the assailant, but Hux was quite aware that a Knight would be checking in soon.

He stood beside her and turned to the imperial guard. “We’re leaving.”

The blue cloaked soldier nodded once and Hux went to walk away before turning back the the woman, “Well, aren’t you coming?”

She threw him a quizzical look. “Of course not. I need to get the situation under control. Not to mention the fucking paperwork.”

He gestured to her shirt. “You’ve saved my life. The least I can do is have our physicians heal your injuries. And perhaps, as a security commander yourself, you might like to observe my stormtroopers and provide an opinion.”

He’d give her a tour of his ship, mapping out the full expanse of the imperial fleet. She would be so impressed by his military command, that his offer for her accept a commission with him would no doubt be accepted with delight. And if she said no the first time . . . well it wasn’t like she could leave the _Finalizer_ without his order.

But she waved him off without looking his way. “That’s alright. This is nothing—just a bruise," she said walking away, surrounded by other officers.

Hux found himself staring after her, blinking stupidly for a moment. That . . . was not the answer he’d been expecting. These Earth humans had been clamouring for a chance to see the inside of an imperial ship. Kylo Ren had only ever allowed the human liaison, Fallinger, aboard his flagship. The politicians had marveled at the crumbs of tech that he’d allowed them to have, and scrambled around in the dirt asking for more. But she was already moving away as if she could not have cared less about him or his fleet.

He watched her with narrowed eyes. _That would not do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phux is in full effect! I really do enjoy writing their scenes together in this fic.

**Author's Note:**

> This story will be updated on Fridays depending on the schedules of myself and my lovely and gracious betas, [Firelord65](http://archiveofourown.org/users/firelord65/pseuds/firelord65), [Copper_Nails](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Her_Madjesty/pseuds/Copper_Nails), and [t0bemadeofglass](http://archiveofourown.org/users/t0bemadeofglass/works). 
> 
> If you're interested in more information on the characters, I've made a list of character profiles which can be found [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-_R0MlxQfa3UcVrMDe-sMEnJT01v8pffddccSW19jtE/edit?usp=sharing). There are potential spoilers contained within.
> 
> If you'd like to stay up to date on my progress and what I'm doing, you can follow me on tumblr [@sophiascribbling](http://sophiascribbling.tumblr.com/)


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